Meredith Whitney er aksjeanalytikeren som utløste 369 milliarder dollar-raset på New York-børsen torsdag, da hun skrev at Citibank trengte 30 friske milliarder dollar for å ha en nødvendig kapitalbuffer. Citibanks aksjer falt 6 prosent og Whitney har mottatt mange drapstrusler.
Selv sier Whitney at den negative analysen hun ga var helt innlysende etter at Citibank rapporterte at fortjenesten i tredje kvartal falt 57 prosent. Likevel var det ingen andre som gjorde det.
Ms Whitney, Forbes’s second-highest ranked stock picker for 2007, told The Times: “People are scared to be negative, especially when a company has such a wide holding. Clients are not pleased with my call and I have had several death threats.
“But it was the most straightforward call I’ve made in my career and I am surprised my peer analysts have been resistant. It’s so straightforward, it’s indisputable.”
..
“No one had the moxie to put in print what I put in print,” she said.
Top US analyst hits back after death threats over Citigroup downgrade