Europe’s Potash cartel breakup
We have talked about the high short interest in K+S AG; the company, which manufactures potassium and mangensium-based chemicals, took a major loss as the potash cartel broke up. While several hedge funds have jumped aboard the shorting bandwagon, the earliest shortsellers were Viking Globlal, Citadel and Pennant Capital.. Shares of K/+S AG are down 40% YTD. The potash industry faced pressure from the possibility of competitive prices as Russia’s Uralkaliy OAO (MCX:URKA) (OTCMKTS:URALL) ended its agreement with Belarusian Potash Company, which together accounted for the bulk of the world’s potash supply.
Shares of K+S tumbled massively for two main reasons: the first being the company’s $4 billion potash mining project underway in Canada, and the second its 12% stake in Uralkali. Short interest in K+S is currently equal to 13.6% of outstanding shares, one of the highest percentages in Europe.
www.valuewalk.com/2013/12/best-performing-shorts-europe/