{"id":15447,"date":"2011-11-21T16:02:00","date_gmt":"2011-11-21T16:02:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www2.thestockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/focus-media-shares-tumble-after-muddy-water-alleges-fraud-fmcn\/15447\/"},"modified":"2011-11-21T16:02:00","modified_gmt":"2011-11-21T16:02:00","slug":"focus-media-shares-tumble-after-muddy-water-alleges-fraud-fmcn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/focus-media-shares-tumble-after-muddy-water-alleges-fraud-fmcn\/15447\/","title":{"rendered":"Focus Media Shares Tumble after Muddy Water Alleges Fraud (FMCN)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script type=\"text\/javascript\"><!--\ngoogle_ad_client = \"ca-pub-1408583772585547\";\n\/* SMW - News Links *\/\ngoogle_ad_slot = \"3490797620\";\ngoogle_ad_width = 468;\ngoogle_ad_height = 15;\n\/\/-->\n<\/script><br \/>\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"http:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/show_ads.js\">\n<\/script><\/p>\n<p><!--Ad Injection mfunc mode ad include code--><br \/>\n<!--mfunc include_once('\/mnt\/Target01\/327806\/www.thestockmarketwatch.com\/web\/content\/stock-market-news\/wp-content\/plugins\/ad-injection\/adshow.php') --><br \/>\n<!--\/mfunc--><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-15448\" title=\"Focus Media\" src=\"https:\/\/storage.googleapis.com\/smw-news-wp\/2011\/11\/Focus-Media-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\">Focus Media Holding Limited (ADR) (<a href=\"https:\/\/thestockmarketwatch.com\/stock.aspx?stock=fmcn\">NASDAQ: FMCN<\/a>) shares are sinking in trading today after Muddy Waters Research, an investment research and short selling firm, issued a report on the China-based company alleging fraud.<\/p>\n<p>Muddy Waters has alleged that Focus Media, which operates a digital media network, has been committing fraud by overstating the number of screens in its LCD display advertising network by about 50%. Muddy Waters questioned whether the company\u2019s core LCD business is viable and issued a Strong Sell rating on the stock.<\/p>\n<p>Carson Block, who is the director of research at Muddy Waters, alleges that Focus Media has significantly and deliberately overpaid for acquisitions. Block also alleges that the company has claimed to acquired, write down and dispose of companies that it never actually purchased. He added that investors should be concerned about where the cash involved in these transactions actually moved.<\/p>\n<p><!--mfunc adshow_display_ad_file_v2(array('ad_random_1.txt'), array(100), array('align' => 'float right', 'clear' => '', 'margin_top' => '', 'margin_bottom' => '', 'padding_top' => '', 'padding_bottom' => ''), array(), array()) --><\/p>\n<div style=\"float:right;margin-left:5px;\"><script type=\"text\/javascript\"><!--\ngoogle_ad_client = \"ca-pub-1408583772585547\";\n\/* SMW - in News 300 *\/\ngoogle_ad_slot = \"5684630733\";\ngoogle_ad_width = 300;\ngoogle_ad_height = 250;\n\/\/-->\n<\/script><br \/>\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"http:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/show_ads.js\">\n<\/script><\/div>\n<p><!--\/mfunc--><\/p>\n<p>The Muddy Waters report also notes that share sales by company insiders have netted at least $1.7 billion since Focus Media went public in 2005.<\/p>\n<p>Block concludes that Focus Media is a highly troubled enterprise that is run solely for the benefit of insiders.<\/p>\n<p>The allegations have once again thrown the spotlight on Chinese companies trading on North American exchanges. A number of Chinese companies trading on North American exchanges, this year, have faced allegations from short sellers of conducting fraudulent activities and misleading investors. Earlier this year, Muddy Waters had alleged that Sino-Forest, a Chinese timber company, overstated its assets. Sino-Forest shares plunged almost 80% following the report from Muddy Waters.<\/p>\n<p>Focus Media shares are also sinking following similar allegations from Muddy Waters. At last check, the stock was down 43.65% to $14.37. Earlier in the day in fell to a 52-week low of $8.79.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>More Posts by this author<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/thestockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/recent-events\/business-news\/gold-prices-rebound-after-monday%e2%80%99s-sell-off\/15559\"><br \/>\nGold Prices Rebound after Monday\u2019s Sell-Off<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/thestockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/market-updates\/stocks-end-lower\/15558\"><br \/>\nStocks End Lower<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/thestockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/market-updates\/stocks-headed-for-another-lower-finish-after-q3-gdp-growth-is-revised-downwards\/15555\"><br \/>\nStocks Headed for Another Lower Finish after Q3 GDP Growth is Revised Downwards<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/thestockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/recent-events\/business-news\/brown-shoe-plans-to-shed-some-brands-bws\/15553\"><br \/>\nBrown Shoe Plans to Shed Some Brands (BWS)<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/thestockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/recent-events\/business-news\/groupon-shares-slip-for-a-second-straight-day-grpn\/15552\"><br \/>\nGroupon Shares Slip for a Second Straight Day (GRPN)<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/thestockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/recent-events\/business-news\/samsung-in-final-stage-discussions-to-launch-google-tv\/15547\"><br \/>\nSamsung In Final Stage Discussions to Launch Google TV<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/thestockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/recent-events\/business-news\/j-p-morgan-launches-chip-based-credit-cards\/15546\"><br \/>\nJ.P Morgan Launches Chip Based Credit Cards<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr>\n<table style=\"border:none;margin:0;\">\n<tr>\n<td style=\"padding:5px;vertical-align:top;\" valign=\"top\">\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www2.thestockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/5.jpg\" alt=\"edliston\" width=\"125\" height=\"125\" class=\"photo\"><\/td>\n<td style=\"padding:5px;vertical-align:top;\" valign=\"top\">\n<div style=\"font-size:11pt;\"><b>Post Written By: Ed Liston <\/b><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size:10pt;\">\n<p>Ed Liston is a senior contributing editor at TheStockMarketWatch.com. An active market watcher and investor, Ed guides an independent team of experienced analysts and writes for multiple stock trader publications. He is widely quoted in various financial publications on the Internet. When Ed is not writing about stocks, investing in stocks, talking about stocks, or otherwise doing something stock related, he likes to go sailing and fishing in his yacht.\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<p><script type=\"text\/javascript\"><!--\ngoogle_ad_client = \"pub-1408583772585547\";\n\/* 336x280, created 7\/9\/11 *\/\ngoogle_ad_slot = \"3552319058\";\ngoogle_ad_width = 336;\ngoogle_ad_height = 280;\n\/\/-->\n<\/script><br \/>\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"http:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/show_ads.js\">\n<\/script><\/p>\n<div style=\"margin:5px;margin-bottom:20px;font-size:11pt;\">&laquo; <a href=\"https:\/\/thestockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/\">Return to Stock Market News<\/a> &laquo; <\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Focus Media Holding Limited (ADR) (NASDAQ: FMCN) shares are sinking in trading today after Muddy Waters Research, an investment research [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":50312,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center 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