SlideShare a Scribd company logo
1 of 6
Download to read offline
January 17, 2012


Dear Partner:
 
Greenlight Capital, L.P., Greenlight Capital Qualified, L.P. and Greenlight Capital Offshore
(collectively, the “Partnerships”) returned 9.7%, 8.8% and 8.5%1 net of fees and expenses,
respectively, in the fourth quarter of 2011, bringing the respective full year returns to 2.9%,
2.7% and 1.9%.1 Since inception in May 1996, Greenlight Capital, L.P. has returned 1,685%
cumulatively or 20% annualized, both net of fees and expenses.

To summarize the year: Never has so much work gone into making 2%. For all its ups and
downs, dramatic headlines, and extremely high daily volatility, the market ended the year just
about where it started. The S&P 500 index closed within a tenth of a point of its opening
price. Other developed equity markets did worse. Most European markets were down double
digits, the Japanese Nikkei index fell about 17%, and many emerging markets declined more
than 20%. While outperforming the S&P 500 has never been our goal, this is the 13th
consecutive year that we have done so, though this time by a trivial margin.

Throughout the year we found very few places to make money, but we likewise kept our
mistakes to a minimum. Our largest winner by far was our short of First Solar (FSLR), which
fell from $130.14 to $33.76 per share and was the worst performing stock in the S&P 500.
We also did well investing in various credit default swaps on European sovereign debt. For
the second year in a row, our biggest loss came from positions designed to capitalize on an
eventual weakening of the Yen. These positions cost us only slightly more than our position
in Sprint (S), which declined from $4.23 to $2.34 per share in 2011.

For the most part, our long portfolio went sideways. A raft of large holdings including
Arkema, Aspen Insurance, CareFusion, Delphi, Delta Lloyd, Ensco, Marvell Technology,
Microsoft, NCR, Pfizer (exited) and Travelers (exited) generally met or exceeded our
operating expectations, but combined to generate an insignificant return. Even Apple, with
sales and earnings growth of about 70%, saw its stock appreciate by just 25%. Perhaps the
old saw about “cheap stocks getting cheaper” applies. However, these are all good businesses
with good prospects. We believe that at some point the Partnerships will be better rewarded
for these holdings.

The global environment is very complicated. On the one hand, the Federal Reserve has taken
a much-needed break from quantitative easing (at least for the moment). Accordingly,
inflation in oil and food has abated, providing relief to the U.S. economy. Bearish forecasts
that the U.S. was headed back into recession proved wrong for the third time since the end of
the last recession.

1
    Source: Greenlight Capital. Please refer to information contained in the disclosures at the end of the letter.


       2 G rand Cen tr a l Tower  140 East 45 t h S tr e e t, 2 4 t h Floor  N ew Yo rk, NY 10017
            Phon e: 212-973-1900  Fax 212-973-9219  www.g reen ligh tcap ital. com
Page 2




On the other hand, Asia appears to be in much worse shape than it was at this time last year
and could be a drag on the world economy going forward. Very few people trust any of the
economic data coming out of China, making it difficult to gauge the situation there. Some of
the smartest people we know have very dim views. The Chinese have been a leading growth
engine for the last two decades and are largely credited with leading the world out of the
recession in 2009. A change in their economic circumstances could really upend things.

Finally, the European currency crisis has continued to worsen. The last year and a half has
been an endless repetition of the dynamic depicted below:



                                        Crisis Deepens




                Solution has                                   Announcement
                no substance                                    of meeting to
                or won’t work                                  solve everything
                 (stocks fall)                                    (stocks rise)




                   Announced solution                        Summit

                    (champagne party)                     (stocks peak)


The cycle looks like this: Time passes and the crisis deepens. Markets, eternal creatures of
habit, begin to reflect the ensuing fear. Then, just as things appear ready to unravel, there is a
reprieve, as red headlines race across the screen: “Sarkozy and Merkel to Meet at Deauville”,
“Obama Phones Cameron”, or "Christine Lagarde Waves From Bus”. The market jumps.
You'd think the media would quit falling for this charade, but having run out of clever
headlines to describe the impending doom — ‘Eurogeddon’ Really? — they herald every
briefing, meeting, assembly, and conference call.

The market embraces these announcements as eagerly as the media, behaving as if any and all
communication is equally constructive, and likely to yield a solution. The market continues
to rise until the day of that summit, as all ears await a Grand Communiqué. Within minutes
of any proclamation, the market may cheer with a final, celebratory spike. Upon evaluation
of the actual statement, it becomes clear that either nothing has truly been agreed upon, or that
Page 3



the plan is insufficient, impractical or just won’t work. The market sells off and the crisis
deepens some more. Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

Nonetheless, everyone is looking to these leaders for a solution. And it’s understandable that
speaking and meeting are necessary steps. Yet, despite the endless telephone calls and
summits, all we hear are repeated promises to “do whatever it takes,” which seems to include
everything except making the necessary sacrifices that might actually resolve the crisis.

The latest solution is a work-in-progress treaty being heavily negotiated that, in its current
incarnation, will only need to be ratified by a subset of the Eurozone countries. While the
leaders have committed in principle, there is significant risk that once the details emerge (and
the necessary electorates are consulted), we will discover that some leaders pledged with their
fingers crossed and, as with prior efforts, this too will fail to get the job done. 2012 may be
the year in which the currency crisis will no longer be kept at bay by politicians buying time
with empty promises. Maybe the fall of the Euro will be the 2012 catastrophe that the
Mayans predicted.

With these things in mind, our current strategy is to own cheap stocks of good businesses,
largely in the United States. We are more net long equities than we have been in some time,
as we believe that many stocks have reached a point where they are simply cheap enough to
own even if some trouble awaits us. We are prepared for problems in Asia by continuing to
speculate on a much weaker Yen. We have hedged the currency on our European equities,
and continue to believe that European sovereign bond prices will fall regardless of whether
the crisis is resolved through sovereign default or money printing. Finally, we continue to
hold gold and gold mining equities, reflecting our concerns that global fiscal and monetary
policies continue to tempt fate.

In the fourth quarter, the Partnerships made gains on both our long and short portfolios, as the
market rose and recovered most of its third quarter loss. While our shorts often fall prey to
“man-made” disasters, it was unusual to see one of our longs benefit from a natural disaster.
Floods in Thailand caused significant damage to many of Seagate’s (STX) competitors and
component suppliers. STX’s hard drive manufacturing facilities were relatively unharmed by
the flooding and the company has been able to capitalize on the resulting shortages, which has
led to a dramatic improvement in the company’s near-term prospects.

The short portfolio had two significant winners in the quarter: Green Mountain Coffee
Roasters (GMCR) and FSLR. GMCR fell after announcing disappointing quarterly results
that had been widely anticipated to beat expectations. The market also took little comfort in
GMCR’s failure to provide any substantive response to the questions we raised at the Value
Investing Congress, other than a blanket denial of wrongdoing. FSLR shares collapsed along
with solar panel prices. The Solyndra scandal also hurt the company, as the Department of
Energy denied FSLR some subsidies that had been baked into expectations. Ultimately,
FSLR changed management and dramatically cut guidance. The Partnerships had no material
losers during the fourth quarter.
Page 4



During the quarter, the Partnerships established a new position in Dell (DELL) and re-
established a position in Xerox (XRX).

DELL is a large seller of computer and technology products. We established our position at
an average price of $15.53. DELL is another example where the recent business performance
has exceeded the recent stock performance. While the computer business is mature, DELL
has broadened its offerings over the last few years, so that about half its sales and more than
half of its gross profits come from other products. DELL has roughly $7 per share in net cash
and investments and currently earns about $2 per share (up from $1.50 in 2010).
Accordingly, DELL’s P/E multiple is about 7x, and net of the cash and investments, it is less
than 4x. This reflects a valuation usually associated with collapsing businesses. We expect
DELL to continue to grow its earnings per share, albeit at a modest rate.

Over the years, DELL has done a miserable job of allocating capital. During the dot-com
heyday, when the P/E multiple was sky-high, DELL routinely plowed every available dollar
back into share repurchases. After the tech bubble burst and the P/E came down to earth, it
opted to hoard cash and pay fancy multiples to acquire growth. More recently it seems to
have figured out that buying back stock at nosebleed prices makes no sense, but share
repurchases at bargain prices can add real shareholder value. During the first three quarters of
2011, DELL repurchased 7.5% of the company and has the balance sheet to do much more.
DELL shares ended the year at $14.63 per share.

XRX is a document management provider that entered business process outsourcing when it
acquired Affiliated Computer Services (ACS) in February 2010. The combination allows
XRX to sell more value-added services to its current customers and apply XRX’s technology
to deliver ACS's services more cheaply. This is our second investment in XRX since the
acquisition. The first time, we bought with the stock price around $9.35, and sold with a
modest gain over concerns about XRX’s Japanese exposure after the earthquake. That issue
appeared fully discounted by the market during the fourth quarter when we re-established a
position at $7.61 per share, which is less than 8x estimated 2012 earnings. In the first nine
months of 2011, XRX signed a significant amount of new multi-year outsourcing services
contracts. XRX has been aggressively cutting costs within the legacy ACS organization.
Over the long-term, XRX is expecting over 6% revenue growth and 10-15% adjusted EPS
growth. XRX expects to spend $1.0-$1.4 billion on share repurchases in 2012, which should
make a good dent in the share count given its current equity capitalization of $11 billion.
XRX shares ended the year at $7.96 each.
  
We exited several significant positions during the quarter. We sold Becton Dickinson (BDX)
with a slight gain in response to disappointing guidance given with the release of the third
quarter earnings. We sold CVS because it had appreciated and we wished to redeploy the
capital into cheaper ideas. We sold Employers Holdings (EIG), a company that could simply
never execute over the nearly five years that we held the stock, at a break-even result.
Finally, we exited Travelers (TRV), with a double digit return, because the recent losses due
to various catastrophes have hampered its share repurchase program, causing us to cut our
forward earnings forecast. On the short side, we closed out our FSLR position. This was one
of the most profitable shorts in the history of the Partnerships. We also closed out our short of
Page 5



Diamond Foods (DMND) which, while small, was one of the fastest performing shorts in our
history.

Greenlight Capital, Inc. and its affiliates registered as investment advisers with the Securities
and Exchange Commission (SEC) effective as of January 4, 2012. Over the last six months
we have prepared for registration and we don’t foresee any operational changes. We have
promoted Sean Farrell to the role of Chief Compliance Officer. You can find the Form ADV
on the SEC’s website at www.adviserinfo.sec.gov.

We continue to be gold acquirers, in this case hiring Mitch Golden to be co-PM of Greenlight
Masters, our fund of funds. Mitch’s previous experience includes working in private equity at
Oak Hill Capital, and as an analyst at both RH Capital and most recently at Senator
Investment Group. Mitch earned an MBA from Wharton after undergraduate studies at
Stanford University. Welcome Mitch!

Emily Proctor has joined us as an Executive Assistant. Emily has a degree in Anthropology
from BYU and an M.A. in Women’s Studies from George Washington University and shares
her full name with a hiking trail in Vermont. The eponymous route runs for nearly 13 miles
through the Breadloaf Wilderness, and is rated strenuous by multiple trail guides. For a
shorter, easier hike, we suggest the David Einhorn Trail. Start at the pile of breadcrumbs in
the kitchen and follow the trail of spilled coffee all the way to David’s office. Welcome
Emily!

Our long-time Office Manager Camille Granato is retiring. For those of you who have been
with us since the early days, you might recall that Camille was once our entire operations and
administrative team. With our current operations staff of sixteen, we can almost replicate
Camille’s single-handed productivity and are reluctantly willing to let her retire. We wish her
the best and will miss her dearly!

At quarter end, the largest disclosed long positions in the Partnerships were Apple, General
Motors, gold, Market Vectors Gold Miners and Microsoft. The Partnerships had an average
exposure of 93% long and 53% short.


     “The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance; it is the illusion of knowledge.”

                                                             --Stephen Hawking



Best Regards,



Greenlight Capital, Inc.
Page 6


The information contained herein reflects the opinions and projections of Greenlight Capital, Inc. and its
affiliates (collectively “Greenlight”) as of the date of publication, which are subject to change without notice at
any time subsequent to the date of issue. Greenlight does not represent that any opinion or projection will be
realized. All information provided is for informational purposes only and should not be deemed as investment
advice or a recommendation to purchase or sell any specific security. While the information presented herein is
believed to be reliable, no representation or warranty is made concerning the accuracy of any data presented. All
trade names, trademarks, and service marks herein are the property of their respective owners who retain all
proprietary rights over their use. This communication is confidential and may not be reproduced without prior
written permission from Greenlight.

Performance returns reflect the total returns, net of fees and expenses, for an IPO eligible partner. The 2011
returns for Greenlight Capital, L.P. and Greenlight Capital Qualified, L.P are net of the modified high-water
mark incentive allocation of 10% and reflect the returns for partners who were invested on or prior to January 1,
2008. The 2011 returns for Greenlight Capital Offshore reflect our standard 20% incentive allocation.

Performance returns for Greenlight Capital L.P. since inception reflect the total returns, net of fees and expenses,
for an IPO eligible partner and are net of either the modified high-water mark incentive allocation of 10% or the
standard 20% incentive allocation applied pursuant to the confidential offering memorandum on a monthly basis
for a partner who invested at inception.

Performance returns for 2011 are estimated pending the year-end audit. Past performance is not indicative of
future results. Actual returns may differ from the returns presented. Reference to an index does not imply that
the funds will achieve returns, volatility, or other results similar to the index. The total returns for the index do
not reflect the deduction of any fees or expenses which would reduce returns.

All exposure information excludes credit default swaps, gold, currency positions/hedges and other macro
positions. Weightings, exposure, attribution and performance contribution information reflects estimates of the
weighted average of Greenlight Capital, L.P., Greenlight Capital Qualified, L.P., and Greenlight Capital
Offshore, and are the result of classifications and assumptions made in the sole judgment of Greenlight.
Positions reflected in this letter do not represent all the positions held, purchased, or sold, and in the aggregate,
the information may represent a small percentage of activity. The information presented is intended to provide
insight into the noteworthy events, in the sole opinion of Greenlight, affecting the portfolio.

THIS SHALL NOT CONSTITUTE AN OFFER TO SELL OR THE SOLICITATION OF AN OFFER TO BUY
ANY INTERESTS IN ANY FUND MANAGED BY GREENLIGHT OR ANY OF ITS AFFILIATES. SUCH
AN OFFER TO SELL OR SOLICITATION OF AN OFFER TO BUY INTERESTS MAY ONLY BE MADE
PURSUANT TO DEFINITIVE SUBSCRIPTION DOCUMENTS BETWEEN A FUND AND AN INVESTOR.

More Related Content

What's hot

Dtz money into_property_2013_global
Dtz money into_property_2013_globalDtz money into_property_2013_global
Dtz money into_property_2013_globalWorld Office Forum
 
YE 2008 Special Veiwpoint Insert
YE 2008 Special Veiwpoint InsertYE 2008 Special Veiwpoint Insert
YE 2008 Special Veiwpoint Insertmjdeschaine
 
Economic Concerns Slide Show 2 09
Economic Concerns Slide Show 2 09Economic Concerns Slide Show 2 09
Economic Concerns Slide Show 2 09mjdeschaine
 
2012 global powers of retailing deloitte
2012 global powers of retailing deloitte2012 global powers of retailing deloitte
2012 global powers of retailing deloittemymarketingnet
 
Vlerick Alumni: 5th Edition of the Vlerick Chief Economists Debate
Vlerick Alumni: 5th Edition of the Vlerick Chief Economists DebateVlerick Alumni: 5th Edition of the Vlerick Chief Economists Debate
Vlerick Alumni: 5th Edition of the Vlerick Chief Economists DebateVlerick_Alumni
 
WHV '11AR_Final_PressQuality_Crop&Bleed
WHV '11AR_Final_PressQuality_Crop&BleedWHV '11AR_Final_PressQuality_Crop&Bleed
WHV '11AR_Final_PressQuality_Crop&BleedTlielaxu Miykel
 
2012 Economic and Stock Market Outlook - Dec. 2011
2012 Economic and Stock Market Outlook - Dec. 20112012 Economic and Stock Market Outlook - Dec. 2011
2012 Economic and Stock Market Outlook - Dec. 2011RobertWBaird
 
Hyre Weekly Commentary Template
Hyre Weekly Commentary TemplateHyre Weekly Commentary Template
Hyre Weekly Commentary Templatehyrejam
 
Henley outlook feb 2013 web
Henley outlook   feb 2013 webHenley outlook   feb 2013 web
Henley outlook feb 2013 webTania Scott
 
Lpl Financial Research Weekly Market Commentary Nov. 19th, 2012
Lpl Financial Research Weekly Market Commentary Nov. 19th, 2012Lpl Financial Research Weekly Market Commentary Nov. 19th, 2012
Lpl Financial Research Weekly Market Commentary Nov. 19th, 2012chrisphil
 
Impact Fall 2009
Impact Fall 2009Impact Fall 2009
Impact Fall 2009rcobert
 
Market News 2012
Market News 2012Market News 2012
Market News 2012mhakerem
 
Subacchi, Varghese, Jackson (London - Dec 2010)
Subacchi, Varghese, Jackson (London - Dec 2010)Subacchi, Varghese, Jackson (London - Dec 2010)
Subacchi, Varghese, Jackson (London - Dec 2010)AmaliaKhachatryan
 
Ireland, PIGS, QE2, the euro and the melting pot
Ireland, PIGS, QE2, the euro and the melting potIreland, PIGS, QE2, the euro and the melting pot
Ireland, PIGS, QE2, the euro and the melting potMarkets Beyond
 
Polymetis White Paper 200901
Polymetis White Paper 200901Polymetis White Paper 200901
Polymetis White Paper 200901tpkcfa
 
250 global powers_deloitte_2013
250 global powers_deloitte_2013250 global powers_deloitte_2013
250 global powers_deloitte_2013pluto1970
 
CCA Items Of Interest—Sep 2011
CCA Items Of Interest—Sep 2011CCA Items Of Interest—Sep 2011
CCA Items Of Interest—Sep 2011Ronald Quintero
 

What's hot (20)

Dtz money into_property_2013_global
Dtz money into_property_2013_globalDtz money into_property_2013_global
Dtz money into_property_2013_global
 
YE 2008 Special Veiwpoint Insert
YE 2008 Special Veiwpoint InsertYE 2008 Special Veiwpoint Insert
YE 2008 Special Veiwpoint Insert
 
Economic Concerns Slide Show 2 09
Economic Concerns Slide Show 2 09Economic Concerns Slide Show 2 09
Economic Concerns Slide Show 2 09
 
Global Markets
Global MarketsGlobal Markets
Global Markets
 
2012 global powers of retailing deloitte
2012 global powers of retailing deloitte2012 global powers of retailing deloitte
2012 global powers of retailing deloitte
 
Vlerick Alumni: 5th Edition of the Vlerick Chief Economists Debate
Vlerick Alumni: 5th Edition of the Vlerick Chief Economists DebateVlerick Alumni: 5th Edition of the Vlerick Chief Economists Debate
Vlerick Alumni: 5th Edition of the Vlerick Chief Economists Debate
 
Market Update
Market UpdateMarket Update
Market Update
 
WHV '11AR_Final_PressQuality_Crop&Bleed
WHV '11AR_Final_PressQuality_Crop&BleedWHV '11AR_Final_PressQuality_Crop&Bleed
WHV '11AR_Final_PressQuality_Crop&Bleed
 
2012 Economic and Stock Market Outlook - Dec. 2011
2012 Economic and Stock Market Outlook - Dec. 20112012 Economic and Stock Market Outlook - Dec. 2011
2012 Economic and Stock Market Outlook - Dec. 2011
 
Olympian Sep2012
Olympian Sep2012Olympian Sep2012
Olympian Sep2012
 
Hyre Weekly Commentary Template
Hyre Weekly Commentary TemplateHyre Weekly Commentary Template
Hyre Weekly Commentary Template
 
Henley outlook feb 2013 web
Henley outlook   feb 2013 webHenley outlook   feb 2013 web
Henley outlook feb 2013 web
 
Lpl Financial Research Weekly Market Commentary Nov. 19th, 2012
Lpl Financial Research Weekly Market Commentary Nov. 19th, 2012Lpl Financial Research Weekly Market Commentary Nov. 19th, 2012
Lpl Financial Research Weekly Market Commentary Nov. 19th, 2012
 
Impact Fall 2009
Impact Fall 2009Impact Fall 2009
Impact Fall 2009
 
Market News 2012
Market News 2012Market News 2012
Market News 2012
 
Subacchi, Varghese, Jackson (London - Dec 2010)
Subacchi, Varghese, Jackson (London - Dec 2010)Subacchi, Varghese, Jackson (London - Dec 2010)
Subacchi, Varghese, Jackson (London - Dec 2010)
 
Ireland, PIGS, QE2, the euro and the melting pot
Ireland, PIGS, QE2, the euro and the melting potIreland, PIGS, QE2, the euro and the melting pot
Ireland, PIGS, QE2, the euro and the melting pot
 
Polymetis White Paper 200901
Polymetis White Paper 200901Polymetis White Paper 200901
Polymetis White Paper 200901
 
250 global powers_deloitte_2013
250 global powers_deloitte_2013250 global powers_deloitte_2013
250 global powers_deloitte_2013
 
CCA Items Of Interest—Sep 2011
CCA Items Of Interest—Sep 2011CCA Items Of Interest—Sep 2011
CCA Items Of Interest—Sep 2011
 

Similar to Greenlight full 2011

Jeff Pesta, LUTCF – Proactive Advisor Magazine – Volume 5 Issue 11
Jeff Pesta, LUTCF – Proactive Advisor Magazine – Volume 5 Issue 11Jeff Pesta, LUTCF – Proactive Advisor Magazine – Volume 5 Issue 11
Jeff Pesta, LUTCF – Proactive Advisor Magazine – Volume 5 Issue 11Proactive Advisor Magazine
 
Brent woyat q4 2013 pimg commentary feb2014
Brent woyat q4 2013 pimg commentary feb2014Brent woyat q4 2013 pimg commentary feb2014
Brent woyat q4 2013 pimg commentary feb2014bwoyat
 
Fasanara Capital | Appendix | Portfolio Buckets
Fasanara Capital | Appendix | Portfolio BucketsFasanara Capital | Appendix | Portfolio Buckets
Fasanara Capital | Appendix | Portfolio BucketsFasanara Capital ltd
 
Jg letter shortest_letterever_3q11
Jg letter shortest_letterever_3q11Jg letter shortest_letterever_3q11
Jg letter shortest_letterever_3q11Frank Ragol
 
Jg letter shortest_letterever_3q11
Jg letter shortest_letterever_3q11Jg letter shortest_letterever_3q11
Jg letter shortest_letterever_3q11Frank Ragol
 
Hyre Weekly Commentary
Hyre Weekly CommentaryHyre Weekly Commentary
Hyre Weekly Commentaryhyrejam
 
Global Equity Quarter 1 Commentary
Global Equity Quarter 1 CommentaryGlobal Equity Quarter 1 Commentary
Global Equity Quarter 1 CommentaryNicola Broekhuysen
 
2012: More Questions Than Answers
2012: More Questions Than Answers2012: More Questions Than Answers
2012: More Questions Than Answersebruck
 
Third point-q3-2012
Third point-q3-2012Third point-q3-2012
Third point-q3-2012Frank Ragol
 
Quarterly newsletter january 2013
Quarterly newsletter   january 2013Quarterly newsletter   january 2013
Quarterly newsletter january 2013KimGibson
 
Business insolvency worldwide euler hermes solunion oct-nov14
Business insolvency worldwide euler hermes   solunion oct-nov14Business insolvency worldwide euler hermes   solunion oct-nov14
Business insolvency worldwide euler hermes solunion oct-nov14Jaime Cubillo Fleming
 

Similar to Greenlight full 2011 (20)

Absolute
AbsoluteAbsolute
Absolute
 
Jeff Pesta, LUTCF – Proactive Advisor Magazine – Volume 5 Issue 11
Jeff Pesta, LUTCF – Proactive Advisor Magazine – Volume 5 Issue 11Jeff Pesta, LUTCF – Proactive Advisor Magazine – Volume 5 Issue 11
Jeff Pesta, LUTCF – Proactive Advisor Magazine – Volume 5 Issue 11
 
Brent woyat q4 2013 pimg commentary feb2014
Brent woyat q4 2013 pimg commentary feb2014Brent woyat q4 2013 pimg commentary feb2014
Brent woyat q4 2013 pimg commentary feb2014
 
AlpineII
AlpineIIAlpineII
AlpineII
 
014-017_IW_1602
014-017_IW_1602014-017_IW_1602
014-017_IW_1602
 
Fasanara Capital | Appendix | Portfolio Buckets
Fasanara Capital | Appendix | Portfolio BucketsFasanara Capital | Appendix | Portfolio Buckets
Fasanara Capital | Appendix | Portfolio Buckets
 
Jg letter shortest_letterever_3q11
Jg letter shortest_letterever_3q11Jg letter shortest_letterever_3q11
Jg letter shortest_letterever_3q11
 
Jg letter shortest_letterever_3q11
Jg letter shortest_letterever_3q11Jg letter shortest_letterever_3q11
Jg letter shortest_letterever_3q11
 
Hyre Weekly Commentary
Hyre Weekly CommentaryHyre Weekly Commentary
Hyre Weekly Commentary
 
July mi bytes 2013 pdf
July mi bytes 2013   pdfJuly mi bytes 2013   pdf
July mi bytes 2013 pdf
 
Global Equity Quarter 1 Commentary
Global Equity Quarter 1 CommentaryGlobal Equity Quarter 1 Commentary
Global Equity Quarter 1 Commentary
 
Oei feb-16
Oei feb-16Oei feb-16
Oei feb-16
 
2012: More Questions Than Answers
2012: More Questions Than Answers2012: More Questions Than Answers
2012: More Questions Than Answers
 
Third point-q3-2012
Third point-q3-2012Third point-q3-2012
Third point-q3-2012
 
Tactical asset allocation view ipi q4 2011
Tactical asset allocation view ipi q4 2011Tactical asset allocation view ipi q4 2011
Tactical asset allocation view ipi q4 2011
 
b
bb
b
 
Quarterly newsletter january 2013
Quarterly newsletter   january 2013Quarterly newsletter   january 2013
Quarterly newsletter january 2013
 
Business insolvency worldwide euler hermes solunion oct-nov14
Business insolvency worldwide euler hermes   solunion oct-nov14Business insolvency worldwide euler hermes   solunion oct-nov14
Business insolvency worldwide euler hermes solunion oct-nov14
 
Oei dec-15
Oei dec-15Oei dec-15
Oei dec-15
 
Oei dec-15
Oei dec-15Oei dec-15
Oei dec-15
 

More from Frank Ragol

Q1 2016-credit third avenue
Q1 2016-credit third avenueQ1 2016-credit third avenue
Q1 2016-credit third avenueFrank Ragol
 
Gdc FI-mayo-2015
Gdc FI-mayo-2015Gdc FI-mayo-2015
Gdc FI-mayo-2015Frank Ragol
 
30638 tl bill gross investment outlook may 2015-exp 5.30.16_3
30638 tl bill gross investment outlook may 2015-exp 5.30.16_330638 tl bill gross investment outlook may 2015-exp 5.30.16_3
30638 tl bill gross investment outlook may 2015-exp 5.30.16_3Frank Ragol
 
Resultados consolidados banca en españa a 30 septiembre
Resultados consolidados banca en españa a 30 septiembreResultados consolidados banca en españa a 30 septiembre
Resultados consolidados banca en españa a 30 septiembreFrank Ragol
 
Bass cognitive dissonance
Bass cognitive dissonanceBass cognitive dissonance
Bass cognitive dissonanceFrank Ragol
 
Greif inc (spruce point capital)
Greif inc (spruce point capital)Greif inc (spruce point capital)
Greif inc (spruce point capital)Frank Ragol
 
Third point-q4-2014-investor-letter-tpoi
Third point-q4-2014-investor-letter-tpoiThird point-q4-2014-investor-letter-tpoi
Third point-q4-2014-investor-letter-tpoiFrank Ragol
 
Skagen global noviembre 14
Skagen global noviembre 14Skagen global noviembre 14
Skagen global noviembre 14Frank Ragol
 
Lessons of oil by howard marks
Lessons of oil by howard marksLessons of oil by howard marks
Lessons of oil by howard marksFrank Ragol
 
Odey absolute return octubre 2014
Odey absolute return octubre 2014Odey absolute return octubre 2014
Odey absolute return octubre 2014Frank Ragol
 
Odey absolute return octubre 2014
Odey absolute return octubre 2014Odey absolute return octubre 2014
Odey absolute return octubre 2014Frank Ragol
 
Gmo qtly letter_3q14_full
Gmo qtly letter_3q14_fullGmo qtly letter_3q14_full
Gmo qtly letter_3q14_fullFrank Ragol
 
Estadistica anual definitiva 2013
Estadistica anual definitiva 2013Estadistica anual definitiva 2013
Estadistica anual definitiva 2013Frank Ragol
 
Enagas resultados 3 t 2014 presentacion
Enagas resultados 3 t 2014 presentacionEnagas resultados 3 t 2014 presentacion
Enagas resultados 3 t 2014 presentacionFrank Ragol
 
2014.10 ethenea-market-commentary-ethna-aktiv-e
2014.10 ethenea-market-commentary-ethna-aktiv-e2014.10 ethenea-market-commentary-ethna-aktiv-e
2014.10 ethenea-market-commentary-ethna-aktiv-eFrank Ragol
 
Manchester united investor slides august 2014
Manchester united investor slides august 2014Manchester united investor slides august 2014
Manchester united investor slides august 2014Frank Ragol
 

More from Frank Ragol (20)

Tulip a eur_en
Tulip a eur_enTulip a eur_en
Tulip a eur_en
 
Q1 2016-credit third avenue
Q1 2016-credit third avenueQ1 2016-credit third avenue
Q1 2016-credit third avenue
 
Swan aug-15
Swan aug-15Swan aug-15
Swan aug-15
 
Gdc FI-mayo-2015
Gdc FI-mayo-2015Gdc FI-mayo-2015
Gdc FI-mayo-2015
 
Oei apr-15
Oei apr-15Oei apr-15
Oei apr-15
 
30638 tl bill gross investment outlook may 2015-exp 5.30.16_3
30638 tl bill gross investment outlook may 2015-exp 5.30.16_330638 tl bill gross investment outlook may 2015-exp 5.30.16_3
30638 tl bill gross investment outlook may 2015-exp 5.30.16_3
 
Resultados consolidados banca en españa a 30 septiembre
Resultados consolidados banca en españa a 30 septiembreResultados consolidados banca en españa a 30 septiembre
Resultados consolidados banca en españa a 30 septiembre
 
Bass cognitive dissonance
Bass cognitive dissonanceBass cognitive dissonance
Bass cognitive dissonance
 
Greif inc (spruce point capital)
Greif inc (spruce point capital)Greif inc (spruce point capital)
Greif inc (spruce point capital)
 
Third point-q4-2014-investor-letter-tpoi
Third point-q4-2014-investor-letter-tpoiThird point-q4-2014-investor-letter-tpoi
Third point-q4-2014-investor-letter-tpoi
 
Oei 2014-12
Oei 2014-12Oei 2014-12
Oei 2014-12
 
Skagen global noviembre 14
Skagen global noviembre 14Skagen global noviembre 14
Skagen global noviembre 14
 
Lessons of oil by howard marks
Lessons of oil by howard marksLessons of oil by howard marks
Lessons of oil by howard marks
 
Odey absolute return octubre 2014
Odey absolute return octubre 2014Odey absolute return octubre 2014
Odey absolute return octubre 2014
 
Odey absolute return octubre 2014
Odey absolute return octubre 2014Odey absolute return octubre 2014
Odey absolute return octubre 2014
 
Gmo qtly letter_3q14_full
Gmo qtly letter_3q14_fullGmo qtly letter_3q14_full
Gmo qtly letter_3q14_full
 
Estadistica anual definitiva 2013
Estadistica anual definitiva 2013Estadistica anual definitiva 2013
Estadistica anual definitiva 2013
 
Enagas resultados 3 t 2014 presentacion
Enagas resultados 3 t 2014 presentacionEnagas resultados 3 t 2014 presentacion
Enagas resultados 3 t 2014 presentacion
 
2014.10 ethenea-market-commentary-ethna-aktiv-e
2014.10 ethenea-market-commentary-ethna-aktiv-e2014.10 ethenea-market-commentary-ethna-aktiv-e
2014.10 ethenea-market-commentary-ethna-aktiv-e
 
Manchester united investor slides august 2014
Manchester united investor slides august 2014Manchester united investor slides august 2014
Manchester united investor slides august 2014
 

Recently uploaded

Best Basmati Rice Manufacturers in India
Best Basmati Rice Manufacturers in IndiaBest Basmati Rice Manufacturers in India
Best Basmati Rice Manufacturers in IndiaShree Krishna Exports
 
Insurers' journeys to build a mastery in the IoT usage
Insurers' journeys to build a mastery in the IoT usageInsurers' journeys to build a mastery in the IoT usage
Insurers' journeys to build a mastery in the IoT usageMatteo Carbone
 
Grateful 7 speech thanking everyone that has helped.pdf
Grateful 7 speech thanking everyone that has helped.pdfGrateful 7 speech thanking everyone that has helped.pdf
Grateful 7 speech thanking everyone that has helped.pdfPaul Menig
 
Event mailer assignment progress report .pdf
Event mailer assignment progress report .pdfEvent mailer assignment progress report .pdf
Event mailer assignment progress report .pdftbatkhuu1
 
Yaroslav Rozhankivskyy: Три складові і три передумови максимальної продуктивн...
Yaroslav Rozhankivskyy: Три складові і три передумови максимальної продуктивн...Yaroslav Rozhankivskyy: Три складові і три передумови максимальної продуктивн...
Yaroslav Rozhankivskyy: Три складові і три передумови максимальної продуктивн...Lviv Startup Club
 
VIP Call Girls Gandi Maisamma ( Hyderabad ) Phone 8250192130 | ₹5k To 25k Wit...
VIP Call Girls Gandi Maisamma ( Hyderabad ) Phone 8250192130 | ₹5k To 25k Wit...VIP Call Girls Gandi Maisamma ( Hyderabad ) Phone 8250192130 | ₹5k To 25k Wit...
VIP Call Girls Gandi Maisamma ( Hyderabad ) Phone 8250192130 | ₹5k To 25k Wit...Suhani Kapoor
 
Progress Report - Oracle Database Analyst Summit
Progress  Report - Oracle Database Analyst SummitProgress  Report - Oracle Database Analyst Summit
Progress Report - Oracle Database Analyst SummitHolger Mueller
 
Call Girls Jp Nagar Just Call 👗 7737669865 👗 Top Class Call Girl Service Bang...
Call Girls Jp Nagar Just Call 👗 7737669865 👗 Top Class Call Girl Service Bang...Call Girls Jp Nagar Just Call 👗 7737669865 👗 Top Class Call Girl Service Bang...
Call Girls Jp Nagar Just Call 👗 7737669865 👗 Top Class Call Girl Service Bang...amitlee9823
 
Monte Carlo simulation : Simulation using MCSM
Monte Carlo simulation : Simulation using MCSMMonte Carlo simulation : Simulation using MCSM
Monte Carlo simulation : Simulation using MCSMRavindra Nath Shukla
 
0183760ssssssssssssssssssssssssssss00101011 (27).pdf
0183760ssssssssssssssssssssssssssss00101011 (27).pdf0183760ssssssssssssssssssssssssssss00101011 (27).pdf
0183760ssssssssssssssssssssssssssss00101011 (27).pdfRenandantas16
 
Regression analysis: Simple Linear Regression Multiple Linear Regression
Regression analysis:  Simple Linear Regression Multiple Linear RegressionRegression analysis:  Simple Linear Regression Multiple Linear Regression
Regression analysis: Simple Linear Regression Multiple Linear RegressionRavindra Nath Shukla
 
Understanding the Pakistan Budgeting Process: Basics and Key Insights
Understanding the Pakistan Budgeting Process: Basics and Key InsightsUnderstanding the Pakistan Budgeting Process: Basics and Key Insights
Understanding the Pakistan Budgeting Process: Basics and Key Insightsseri bangash
 
Lucknow 💋 Escorts in Lucknow - 450+ Call Girl Cash Payment 8923113531 Neha Th...
Lucknow 💋 Escorts in Lucknow - 450+ Call Girl Cash Payment 8923113531 Neha Th...Lucknow 💋 Escorts in Lucknow - 450+ Call Girl Cash Payment 8923113531 Neha Th...
Lucknow 💋 Escorts in Lucknow - 450+ Call Girl Cash Payment 8923113531 Neha Th...anilsa9823
 
Monthly Social Media Update April 2024 pptx.pptx
Monthly Social Media Update April 2024 pptx.pptxMonthly Social Media Update April 2024 pptx.pptx
Monthly Social Media Update April 2024 pptx.pptxAndy Lambert
 
Value Proposition canvas- Customer needs and pains
Value Proposition canvas- Customer needs and painsValue Proposition canvas- Customer needs and pains
Value Proposition canvas- Customer needs and painsP&CO
 
Call Girls Navi Mumbai Just Call 9907093804 Top Class Call Girl Service Avail...
Call Girls Navi Mumbai Just Call 9907093804 Top Class Call Girl Service Avail...Call Girls Navi Mumbai Just Call 9907093804 Top Class Call Girl Service Avail...
Call Girls Navi Mumbai Just Call 9907093804 Top Class Call Girl Service Avail...Dipal Arora
 
9599632723 Top Call Girls in Delhi at your Door Step Available 24x7 Delhi
9599632723 Top Call Girls in Delhi at your Door Step Available 24x7 Delhi9599632723 Top Call Girls in Delhi at your Door Step Available 24x7 Delhi
9599632723 Top Call Girls in Delhi at your Door Step Available 24x7 DelhiCall Girls in Delhi
 
It will be International Nurses' Day on 12 May
It will be International Nurses' Day on 12 MayIt will be International Nurses' Day on 12 May
It will be International Nurses' Day on 12 MayNZSG
 
HONOR Veterans Event Keynote by Michael Hawkins
HONOR Veterans Event Keynote by Michael HawkinsHONOR Veterans Event Keynote by Michael Hawkins
HONOR Veterans Event Keynote by Michael HawkinsMichael W. Hawkins
 
RSA Conference Exhibitor List 2024 - Exhibitors Data
RSA Conference Exhibitor List 2024 - Exhibitors DataRSA Conference Exhibitor List 2024 - Exhibitors Data
RSA Conference Exhibitor List 2024 - Exhibitors DataExhibitors Data
 

Recently uploaded (20)

Best Basmati Rice Manufacturers in India
Best Basmati Rice Manufacturers in IndiaBest Basmati Rice Manufacturers in India
Best Basmati Rice Manufacturers in India
 
Insurers' journeys to build a mastery in the IoT usage
Insurers' journeys to build a mastery in the IoT usageInsurers' journeys to build a mastery in the IoT usage
Insurers' journeys to build a mastery in the IoT usage
 
Grateful 7 speech thanking everyone that has helped.pdf
Grateful 7 speech thanking everyone that has helped.pdfGrateful 7 speech thanking everyone that has helped.pdf
Grateful 7 speech thanking everyone that has helped.pdf
 
Event mailer assignment progress report .pdf
Event mailer assignment progress report .pdfEvent mailer assignment progress report .pdf
Event mailer assignment progress report .pdf
 
Yaroslav Rozhankivskyy: Три складові і три передумови максимальної продуктивн...
Yaroslav Rozhankivskyy: Три складові і три передумови максимальної продуктивн...Yaroslav Rozhankivskyy: Три складові і три передумови максимальної продуктивн...
Yaroslav Rozhankivskyy: Три складові і три передумови максимальної продуктивн...
 
VIP Call Girls Gandi Maisamma ( Hyderabad ) Phone 8250192130 | ₹5k To 25k Wit...
VIP Call Girls Gandi Maisamma ( Hyderabad ) Phone 8250192130 | ₹5k To 25k Wit...VIP Call Girls Gandi Maisamma ( Hyderabad ) Phone 8250192130 | ₹5k To 25k Wit...
VIP Call Girls Gandi Maisamma ( Hyderabad ) Phone 8250192130 | ₹5k To 25k Wit...
 
Progress Report - Oracle Database Analyst Summit
Progress  Report - Oracle Database Analyst SummitProgress  Report - Oracle Database Analyst Summit
Progress Report - Oracle Database Analyst Summit
 
Call Girls Jp Nagar Just Call 👗 7737669865 👗 Top Class Call Girl Service Bang...
Call Girls Jp Nagar Just Call 👗 7737669865 👗 Top Class Call Girl Service Bang...Call Girls Jp Nagar Just Call 👗 7737669865 👗 Top Class Call Girl Service Bang...
Call Girls Jp Nagar Just Call 👗 7737669865 👗 Top Class Call Girl Service Bang...
 
Monte Carlo simulation : Simulation using MCSM
Monte Carlo simulation : Simulation using MCSMMonte Carlo simulation : Simulation using MCSM
Monte Carlo simulation : Simulation using MCSM
 
0183760ssssssssssssssssssssssssssss00101011 (27).pdf
0183760ssssssssssssssssssssssssssss00101011 (27).pdf0183760ssssssssssssssssssssssssssss00101011 (27).pdf
0183760ssssssssssssssssssssssssssss00101011 (27).pdf
 
Regression analysis: Simple Linear Regression Multiple Linear Regression
Regression analysis:  Simple Linear Regression Multiple Linear RegressionRegression analysis:  Simple Linear Regression Multiple Linear Regression
Regression analysis: Simple Linear Regression Multiple Linear Regression
 
Understanding the Pakistan Budgeting Process: Basics and Key Insights
Understanding the Pakistan Budgeting Process: Basics and Key InsightsUnderstanding the Pakistan Budgeting Process: Basics and Key Insights
Understanding the Pakistan Budgeting Process: Basics and Key Insights
 
Lucknow 💋 Escorts in Lucknow - 450+ Call Girl Cash Payment 8923113531 Neha Th...
Lucknow 💋 Escorts in Lucknow - 450+ Call Girl Cash Payment 8923113531 Neha Th...Lucknow 💋 Escorts in Lucknow - 450+ Call Girl Cash Payment 8923113531 Neha Th...
Lucknow 💋 Escorts in Lucknow - 450+ Call Girl Cash Payment 8923113531 Neha Th...
 
Monthly Social Media Update April 2024 pptx.pptx
Monthly Social Media Update April 2024 pptx.pptxMonthly Social Media Update April 2024 pptx.pptx
Monthly Social Media Update April 2024 pptx.pptx
 
Value Proposition canvas- Customer needs and pains
Value Proposition canvas- Customer needs and painsValue Proposition canvas- Customer needs and pains
Value Proposition canvas- Customer needs and pains
 
Call Girls Navi Mumbai Just Call 9907093804 Top Class Call Girl Service Avail...
Call Girls Navi Mumbai Just Call 9907093804 Top Class Call Girl Service Avail...Call Girls Navi Mumbai Just Call 9907093804 Top Class Call Girl Service Avail...
Call Girls Navi Mumbai Just Call 9907093804 Top Class Call Girl Service Avail...
 
9599632723 Top Call Girls in Delhi at your Door Step Available 24x7 Delhi
9599632723 Top Call Girls in Delhi at your Door Step Available 24x7 Delhi9599632723 Top Call Girls in Delhi at your Door Step Available 24x7 Delhi
9599632723 Top Call Girls in Delhi at your Door Step Available 24x7 Delhi
 
It will be International Nurses' Day on 12 May
It will be International Nurses' Day on 12 MayIt will be International Nurses' Day on 12 May
It will be International Nurses' Day on 12 May
 
HONOR Veterans Event Keynote by Michael Hawkins
HONOR Veterans Event Keynote by Michael HawkinsHONOR Veterans Event Keynote by Michael Hawkins
HONOR Veterans Event Keynote by Michael Hawkins
 
RSA Conference Exhibitor List 2024 - Exhibitors Data
RSA Conference Exhibitor List 2024 - Exhibitors DataRSA Conference Exhibitor List 2024 - Exhibitors Data
RSA Conference Exhibitor List 2024 - Exhibitors Data
 

Greenlight full 2011

  • 1. January 17, 2012 Dear Partner:   Greenlight Capital, L.P., Greenlight Capital Qualified, L.P. and Greenlight Capital Offshore (collectively, the “Partnerships”) returned 9.7%, 8.8% and 8.5%1 net of fees and expenses, respectively, in the fourth quarter of 2011, bringing the respective full year returns to 2.9%, 2.7% and 1.9%.1 Since inception in May 1996, Greenlight Capital, L.P. has returned 1,685% cumulatively or 20% annualized, both net of fees and expenses. To summarize the year: Never has so much work gone into making 2%. For all its ups and downs, dramatic headlines, and extremely high daily volatility, the market ended the year just about where it started. The S&P 500 index closed within a tenth of a point of its opening price. Other developed equity markets did worse. Most European markets were down double digits, the Japanese Nikkei index fell about 17%, and many emerging markets declined more than 20%. While outperforming the S&P 500 has never been our goal, this is the 13th consecutive year that we have done so, though this time by a trivial margin. Throughout the year we found very few places to make money, but we likewise kept our mistakes to a minimum. Our largest winner by far was our short of First Solar (FSLR), which fell from $130.14 to $33.76 per share and was the worst performing stock in the S&P 500. We also did well investing in various credit default swaps on European sovereign debt. For the second year in a row, our biggest loss came from positions designed to capitalize on an eventual weakening of the Yen. These positions cost us only slightly more than our position in Sprint (S), which declined from $4.23 to $2.34 per share in 2011. For the most part, our long portfolio went sideways. A raft of large holdings including Arkema, Aspen Insurance, CareFusion, Delphi, Delta Lloyd, Ensco, Marvell Technology, Microsoft, NCR, Pfizer (exited) and Travelers (exited) generally met or exceeded our operating expectations, but combined to generate an insignificant return. Even Apple, with sales and earnings growth of about 70%, saw its stock appreciate by just 25%. Perhaps the old saw about “cheap stocks getting cheaper” applies. However, these are all good businesses with good prospects. We believe that at some point the Partnerships will be better rewarded for these holdings. The global environment is very complicated. On the one hand, the Federal Reserve has taken a much-needed break from quantitative easing (at least for the moment). Accordingly, inflation in oil and food has abated, providing relief to the U.S. economy. Bearish forecasts that the U.S. was headed back into recession proved wrong for the third time since the end of the last recession. 1 Source: Greenlight Capital. Please refer to information contained in the disclosures at the end of the letter. 2 G rand Cen tr a l Tower  140 East 45 t h S tr e e t, 2 4 t h Floor  N ew Yo rk, NY 10017 Phon e: 212-973-1900  Fax 212-973-9219  www.g reen ligh tcap ital. com
  • 2. Page 2 On the other hand, Asia appears to be in much worse shape than it was at this time last year and could be a drag on the world economy going forward. Very few people trust any of the economic data coming out of China, making it difficult to gauge the situation there. Some of the smartest people we know have very dim views. The Chinese have been a leading growth engine for the last two decades and are largely credited with leading the world out of the recession in 2009. A change in their economic circumstances could really upend things. Finally, the European currency crisis has continued to worsen. The last year and a half has been an endless repetition of the dynamic depicted below: Crisis Deepens Solution has Announcement no substance of meeting to or won’t work solve everything (stocks fall) (stocks rise) Announced solution Summit (champagne party) (stocks peak) The cycle looks like this: Time passes and the crisis deepens. Markets, eternal creatures of habit, begin to reflect the ensuing fear. Then, just as things appear ready to unravel, there is a reprieve, as red headlines race across the screen: “Sarkozy and Merkel to Meet at Deauville”, “Obama Phones Cameron”, or "Christine Lagarde Waves From Bus”. The market jumps. You'd think the media would quit falling for this charade, but having run out of clever headlines to describe the impending doom — ‘Eurogeddon’ Really? — they herald every briefing, meeting, assembly, and conference call. The market embraces these announcements as eagerly as the media, behaving as if any and all communication is equally constructive, and likely to yield a solution. The market continues to rise until the day of that summit, as all ears await a Grand Communiqué. Within minutes of any proclamation, the market may cheer with a final, celebratory spike. Upon evaluation of the actual statement, it becomes clear that either nothing has truly been agreed upon, or that
  • 3. Page 3 the plan is insufficient, impractical or just won’t work. The market sells off and the crisis deepens some more. Lather. Rinse. Repeat. Nonetheless, everyone is looking to these leaders for a solution. And it’s understandable that speaking and meeting are necessary steps. Yet, despite the endless telephone calls and summits, all we hear are repeated promises to “do whatever it takes,” which seems to include everything except making the necessary sacrifices that might actually resolve the crisis. The latest solution is a work-in-progress treaty being heavily negotiated that, in its current incarnation, will only need to be ratified by a subset of the Eurozone countries. While the leaders have committed in principle, there is significant risk that once the details emerge (and the necessary electorates are consulted), we will discover that some leaders pledged with their fingers crossed and, as with prior efforts, this too will fail to get the job done. 2012 may be the year in which the currency crisis will no longer be kept at bay by politicians buying time with empty promises. Maybe the fall of the Euro will be the 2012 catastrophe that the Mayans predicted. With these things in mind, our current strategy is to own cheap stocks of good businesses, largely in the United States. We are more net long equities than we have been in some time, as we believe that many stocks have reached a point where they are simply cheap enough to own even if some trouble awaits us. We are prepared for problems in Asia by continuing to speculate on a much weaker Yen. We have hedged the currency on our European equities, and continue to believe that European sovereign bond prices will fall regardless of whether the crisis is resolved through sovereign default or money printing. Finally, we continue to hold gold and gold mining equities, reflecting our concerns that global fiscal and monetary policies continue to tempt fate. In the fourth quarter, the Partnerships made gains on both our long and short portfolios, as the market rose and recovered most of its third quarter loss. While our shorts often fall prey to “man-made” disasters, it was unusual to see one of our longs benefit from a natural disaster. Floods in Thailand caused significant damage to many of Seagate’s (STX) competitors and component suppliers. STX’s hard drive manufacturing facilities were relatively unharmed by the flooding and the company has been able to capitalize on the resulting shortages, which has led to a dramatic improvement in the company’s near-term prospects. The short portfolio had two significant winners in the quarter: Green Mountain Coffee Roasters (GMCR) and FSLR. GMCR fell after announcing disappointing quarterly results that had been widely anticipated to beat expectations. The market also took little comfort in GMCR’s failure to provide any substantive response to the questions we raised at the Value Investing Congress, other than a blanket denial of wrongdoing. FSLR shares collapsed along with solar panel prices. The Solyndra scandal also hurt the company, as the Department of Energy denied FSLR some subsidies that had been baked into expectations. Ultimately, FSLR changed management and dramatically cut guidance. The Partnerships had no material losers during the fourth quarter.
  • 4. Page 4 During the quarter, the Partnerships established a new position in Dell (DELL) and re- established a position in Xerox (XRX). DELL is a large seller of computer and technology products. We established our position at an average price of $15.53. DELL is another example where the recent business performance has exceeded the recent stock performance. While the computer business is mature, DELL has broadened its offerings over the last few years, so that about half its sales and more than half of its gross profits come from other products. DELL has roughly $7 per share in net cash and investments and currently earns about $2 per share (up from $1.50 in 2010). Accordingly, DELL’s P/E multiple is about 7x, and net of the cash and investments, it is less than 4x. This reflects a valuation usually associated with collapsing businesses. We expect DELL to continue to grow its earnings per share, albeit at a modest rate. Over the years, DELL has done a miserable job of allocating capital. During the dot-com heyday, when the P/E multiple was sky-high, DELL routinely plowed every available dollar back into share repurchases. After the tech bubble burst and the P/E came down to earth, it opted to hoard cash and pay fancy multiples to acquire growth. More recently it seems to have figured out that buying back stock at nosebleed prices makes no sense, but share repurchases at bargain prices can add real shareholder value. During the first three quarters of 2011, DELL repurchased 7.5% of the company and has the balance sheet to do much more. DELL shares ended the year at $14.63 per share. XRX is a document management provider that entered business process outsourcing when it acquired Affiliated Computer Services (ACS) in February 2010. The combination allows XRX to sell more value-added services to its current customers and apply XRX’s technology to deliver ACS's services more cheaply. This is our second investment in XRX since the acquisition. The first time, we bought with the stock price around $9.35, and sold with a modest gain over concerns about XRX’s Japanese exposure after the earthquake. That issue appeared fully discounted by the market during the fourth quarter when we re-established a position at $7.61 per share, which is less than 8x estimated 2012 earnings. In the first nine months of 2011, XRX signed a significant amount of new multi-year outsourcing services contracts. XRX has been aggressively cutting costs within the legacy ACS organization. Over the long-term, XRX is expecting over 6% revenue growth and 10-15% adjusted EPS growth. XRX expects to spend $1.0-$1.4 billion on share repurchases in 2012, which should make a good dent in the share count given its current equity capitalization of $11 billion. XRX shares ended the year at $7.96 each.   We exited several significant positions during the quarter. We sold Becton Dickinson (BDX) with a slight gain in response to disappointing guidance given with the release of the third quarter earnings. We sold CVS because it had appreciated and we wished to redeploy the capital into cheaper ideas. We sold Employers Holdings (EIG), a company that could simply never execute over the nearly five years that we held the stock, at a break-even result. Finally, we exited Travelers (TRV), with a double digit return, because the recent losses due to various catastrophes have hampered its share repurchase program, causing us to cut our forward earnings forecast. On the short side, we closed out our FSLR position. This was one of the most profitable shorts in the history of the Partnerships. We also closed out our short of
  • 5. Page 5 Diamond Foods (DMND) which, while small, was one of the fastest performing shorts in our history. Greenlight Capital, Inc. and its affiliates registered as investment advisers with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) effective as of January 4, 2012. Over the last six months we have prepared for registration and we don’t foresee any operational changes. We have promoted Sean Farrell to the role of Chief Compliance Officer. You can find the Form ADV on the SEC’s website at www.adviserinfo.sec.gov. We continue to be gold acquirers, in this case hiring Mitch Golden to be co-PM of Greenlight Masters, our fund of funds. Mitch’s previous experience includes working in private equity at Oak Hill Capital, and as an analyst at both RH Capital and most recently at Senator Investment Group. Mitch earned an MBA from Wharton after undergraduate studies at Stanford University. Welcome Mitch! Emily Proctor has joined us as an Executive Assistant. Emily has a degree in Anthropology from BYU and an M.A. in Women’s Studies from George Washington University and shares her full name with a hiking trail in Vermont. The eponymous route runs for nearly 13 miles through the Breadloaf Wilderness, and is rated strenuous by multiple trail guides. For a shorter, easier hike, we suggest the David Einhorn Trail. Start at the pile of breadcrumbs in the kitchen and follow the trail of spilled coffee all the way to David’s office. Welcome Emily! Our long-time Office Manager Camille Granato is retiring. For those of you who have been with us since the early days, you might recall that Camille was once our entire operations and administrative team. With our current operations staff of sixteen, we can almost replicate Camille’s single-handed productivity and are reluctantly willing to let her retire. We wish her the best and will miss her dearly! At quarter end, the largest disclosed long positions in the Partnerships were Apple, General Motors, gold, Market Vectors Gold Miners and Microsoft. The Partnerships had an average exposure of 93% long and 53% short. “The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance; it is the illusion of knowledge.” --Stephen Hawking Best Regards, Greenlight Capital, Inc.
  • 6. Page 6 The information contained herein reflects the opinions and projections of Greenlight Capital, Inc. and its affiliates (collectively “Greenlight”) as of the date of publication, which are subject to change without notice at any time subsequent to the date of issue. Greenlight does not represent that any opinion or projection will be realized. All information provided is for informational purposes only and should not be deemed as investment advice or a recommendation to purchase or sell any specific security. While the information presented herein is believed to be reliable, no representation or warranty is made concerning the accuracy of any data presented. All trade names, trademarks, and service marks herein are the property of their respective owners who retain all proprietary rights over their use. This communication is confidential and may not be reproduced without prior written permission from Greenlight. Performance returns reflect the total returns, net of fees and expenses, for an IPO eligible partner. The 2011 returns for Greenlight Capital, L.P. and Greenlight Capital Qualified, L.P are net of the modified high-water mark incentive allocation of 10% and reflect the returns for partners who were invested on or prior to January 1, 2008. The 2011 returns for Greenlight Capital Offshore reflect our standard 20% incentive allocation. Performance returns for Greenlight Capital L.P. since inception reflect the total returns, net of fees and expenses, for an IPO eligible partner and are net of either the modified high-water mark incentive allocation of 10% or the standard 20% incentive allocation applied pursuant to the confidential offering memorandum on a monthly basis for a partner who invested at inception. Performance returns for 2011 are estimated pending the year-end audit. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Actual returns may differ from the returns presented. Reference to an index does not imply that the funds will achieve returns, volatility, or other results similar to the index. The total returns for the index do not reflect the deduction of any fees or expenses which would reduce returns. All exposure information excludes credit default swaps, gold, currency positions/hedges and other macro positions. Weightings, exposure, attribution and performance contribution information reflects estimates of the weighted average of Greenlight Capital, L.P., Greenlight Capital Qualified, L.P., and Greenlight Capital Offshore, and are the result of classifications and assumptions made in the sole judgment of Greenlight. Positions reflected in this letter do not represent all the positions held, purchased, or sold, and in the aggregate, the information may represent a small percentage of activity. The information presented is intended to provide insight into the noteworthy events, in the sole opinion of Greenlight, affecting the portfolio. THIS SHALL NOT CONSTITUTE AN OFFER TO SELL OR THE SOLICITATION OF AN OFFER TO BUY ANY INTERESTS IN ANY FUND MANAGED BY GREENLIGHT OR ANY OF ITS AFFILIATES. SUCH AN OFFER TO SELL OR SOLICITATION OF AN OFFER TO BUY INTERESTS MAY ONLY BE MADE PURSUANT TO DEFINITIVE SUBSCRIPTION DOCUMENTS BETWEEN A FUND AND AN INVESTOR.