U.S. would face hurdles bringing case against Icahn, Mickelson: lawyers (Reuters)
Questions about how to apply securities law to activist investors could complicate any potential insider trading case against billionaire Carl Icahn, pro-golfer Phil Mickelson and Las Vegas gambler William Walters, legal experts said. U.S. federal investigators are looking into whether Mickelson and Walters may have traded illegally on private information provided by hedge fund manager Icahn, a source familiar with the matter said on Friday. None of the three men has been accused of any wrongdoing, the source said.
Argentina Leaves Singer for Last in Preparing Bond Market Return (Bloomberg)
Accords with the World Bank, Repsol SA and now the Paris Club have put Argentina on the cusp of returning to international bond markets. The country has left the toughest deal for last. After a 20-hour meeting with officials from the Paris-based group of creditor nations, which kept President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner awake until 2 a.m., Argentina said yesterday that it agreed to pay $9.7 billion over five years to settle claims stretching back to the government’s record $95 billion default in 2001. South America’s second-biggest economy hasn’t issued bonds in international markets since it stopped payments. Solving the remaining dispute with holdout creditors including billionaire Paul Singer’s Elliott Management Corp. is becoming more urgent with foreign-exchange reserves stuck near an eight-year low.
After Fighting Insider Trading Charges for 10 Years, a Fund Manager Is Cleared (New York Times)
Standing outside a Manhattan federal court on Friday, Nelson Obus put on his victory tie. A jury of five men and five women had just cleared him of insider trading accusations, which Mr. Obus, a 67-year-old hedge fund manager, had spent more than 10 years and $9 million battling in court. The bright red tie, he had told his lawyers earlier in the day, was for his “win.” The outspoken Mr. Obus, who earlier in the day wore striped socks, a light gray suit and a dark blue tie with pictures of constellations, breathed a loud sigh of relief as the decision was read. His wife, Eve Coulson, sat stone-faced behind him.
Falcone’s Harbinger Seeks Government Action on LightSquared (Wall Street Journal)
Hedge-fund manager Philip Falcone is taking aim at the federal government over its refusal to authorize LightSquared to launch a wireless network. In a letter addressed to the Federal Communications Commission, lawyers for Mr. Falcone’s Harbinger Capital Partners LLC hedge fund complained that the “billions of dollars” it sunk into LightSquared has been for naught after regulators ordered an “indefinite halt” to further development of LightSquared’s network.
Valeant boosts $53.8 billion Allergan bid as Ackman opts for stock (Reuters)
Valeant Pharmaceuticals Intl Inc (NYSE:VRX) said on Friday it would boost its takeover bid for Botox-maker Allergan, Inc. (NYSE:AGN) for the second time this week, contingent on the two sides negotiating. Laval, Quebec-based Valeant said it would pay $72 in cash – up from $58.30 on Wednesday – and 0.83 share of Valeant stock for each Allergan share. The revised, unsolicited offer was triggered by Pershing Square, the hedge fund controlled by Bill Ackman that is Allergan’s biggest shareholder, agreeing to take only stock in Valeant for its Allergan shares. The offer is worth $53.8 billion, up from Wednesday’s $49.9 billion bid.
PE deals in Asia off to a strong start: Bain & Co (CNBC.com)
