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Michael Burry's journey to becoming a Wall Street legend began in medicine, but a fascination with the stock market led him to leave his residency to pursue a career in finance. He started his own hedge fund, Scion Asset Management, in 2000.
Burry's early success was marked by his ability to identify undervalued companies, particularly in the biotech sector. His investment in a particular pharmaceutical company's stock earned him a significant profit.
Burry's big break came in 2005 when he correctly predicted the housing market bubble would burst, leading him to short the mortgage-backed securities that fueled the crisis. His bold move was chronicled in Michael Lewis's book "The Big Short".
Early Life and Education
Michael Burry was born and raised in San Jose, California, with Rusyn ancestry. He grew up with a prosthetic eye after losing his left eye to retinoblastoma at the age of two.
Burry attended Santa Teresa High School as a teenager. He later studied economics and pre-med at the University of California, Los Angeles.
He earned an MD degree from the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. Burry also started but did not finish his residency in pathology at Stanford University Medical Center.
Despite not practicing medicine, Burry kept his license active with the Medical Board of California, including continuing education requirements.
Investment Career
Michael Burry's investment career is a fascinating story. He started out as a hobby, but quickly made a name for himself in the investing space through his active participation in online forums and blog.
Burry's strategies and insights were unique from others in the field, as he himself said, "Everything I do in investment is just very different." He was a respected voice in the investment community, known for his technical analysis and ability to remain uninfluenced by trending market sentiments.
In 2000, Burry launched his own investment fund, Scion Capital, with an initial capital boost of $1 million from Joel Greenblatt of Gotham Capital. This fund was a huge success, returning 55% in 2001 while the S&P 500 suffered an 11% decline.
Burry's success can be attributed to his ability to capitalize on the dot-com bubble by strategically shorting overvalued tech stocks. His firm's purchase of put options against the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 further showcased his expertise in predicting market trends.
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After making a name for himself, Burry continued to make predictions about the U.S. economy and execute careful investments. He even said, "My natural state is an outsider. I’ve always felt outside the group, and I’ve always been analyzing the group."
Burry's investment career was marked by success, but he eventually shut down his fund, Scion Capital, in 2008 to focus on personal investments and his family.
The Big Short
The Big Short is a film adaptation of Michael Lewis' best-selling book of the same name, published in 2010. The movie, cowritten and directed by Adam McKay, focuses on the lives of several American financial professionals, including Burry, who predicted and profited from the buildup and subsequent collapse of the housing bubble in 2007 and 2008.
Michael Burry is the founder of Scion Capital, where he successfully predicted the 2008 stock market crash. He foresaw the impending collapse of the housing bubble in the late 2000s, a calamity that significantly impacted the economy.
Burry's prediction led to substantial financial gains - $700 million for his investors and $100 million personally, before he chose to shut down Scion Capital. His success in predicting the stock market crash is largely credited to his unique focus on lenders rather than borrowers.
Burry's focus on lenders was a key factor in his prediction. As he said, "What you want to watch are the lenders, not the borrowers." He explained this phenomenon as "the extension of credit by instrument", a term he coined to describe the practice of lenders resorting to new financial instruments in order to justify lending money to unqualified borrowers.
Michael Burry's prediction and subsequent success are a testament to his expertise in the financial world. He was awarded for his portrayal in the film "The Big Short" during the 21st Annual Critics' Choice Awards, with Christian Bale winning Best Actor in a Comedy award for playing Burry.
Personal Life and Wealth
Michael Burry was born in 1971 and raised in San Jose, Calif, where he lost his left eye to a rare form of cancer called retinoblastoma at the age of two.
Burry has a wife and two adult sons, one of whom was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome as a boy, which prompted Burry to discover that he too has the condition.
Michael Burry earned his bachelor’s degree in economics at the University of California, Los Angeles, and later got an M.D. from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.
Burry's net worth is estimated to be $300 million, according to Celebrity News Net Worth.
Consider reading: Michael Burry Net Worth 2023
Personal Life
Michael James Burry was born in 1971 and raised in San Jose, Calif. He lost his left eye to a rare form of cancer called retinoblastoma at the age of two and has worn a prosthetic eye ever since.
Burry earned his bachelor’s degree in economics at the University of California, Los Angeles, where he also studied premed.
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He then got an M.D. from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and later began residencies at Stanford University in neurology and pathology.
Burry left Stanford after his third year in residency in neurology at Stanford University Hospital to concentrate full time on investing.
He keeps up his license with the Medical Board of California by taking continuing education courses.
Burry has a wife and two adult sons, one of whom was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome as a boy, which prompted Burry to discover that he too has the condition.
He is a huge enthusiast of heavy metal music.
$300 Million
Michael Burry's net worth is estimated to be $300 million, a significant amount that reflects his success in the financial industry. He's not the only one with impressive wealth, but it's worth noting that his net worth is a result of his smart investments and business ventures.
As someone who's made a name for themselves in the financial world, Michael Burry's net worth is a testament to his hard work and dedication. He's been able to accumulate a large sum of money, which is a great achievement in itself.
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What Does He Own?
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Michael Burry, the founder of Scion Asset Management LLC, manages a private investment company with about $52.5 million in assets under management as of June 2024.
His top holdings include Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., which makes up 21% of his portfolio.
Shift4 Payments, Inc is another significant holding, accounting for 14% of his assets.
Molina Healthcare, Inc also takes up 14% of his investments.
Baidu, Inc. and JD.com Inc. each hold 12% of his portfolio.
Hudson Pacific Properties Inc. is another notable holding, making up 11% of his assets.
The RealReal, Inc. and American Coastal Insurance Corporation hold 6.1% and 5.1% of his portfolio, respectively.
Olaplex Holdings, Inc. and BioAtla Inc. hold smaller stakes, at 2.9% and 1.7% respectively.
Career
Michael Burry's career as an investor started as a hobby, but he quickly gained recognition in the investing space due to his unique insights and strategies.
He made a significant move in 2000 by launching his own investment fund, Scion Capital, with an initial capital boost of $1 million from Joel Greenblatt of Gotham Capital.
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Burry's fund was a huge success, returning 55% in 2001, a year when the S&P 500 declined by 11%.
He strategically shorted overvalued tech stocks during the dot-com bubble, which further enhanced his reputation as an astute investor.
Burry's success with Scion Capital was a testament to his ability to think outside the box and take calculated risks in the investment world.
Investisseur's Career
Michael Burry's investment career is a fascinating story. He started out as a hobby, but quickly made a name for himself in the investing space with his unique strategies and insights.
Burry's blog was a huge success, attracting the attention of Joel Greenblatt of Gotham Capital, who invested $1 million in his fund, Scion Capital, in 2000. This initial capital boost helped launch Burry's career as a hedge fund manager.
In 2000, Burry launched Scion Capital, which gave its investors a return of 55% in 2001, while the S&P 500 declined by 11%. He achieved this success by strategically shorting overvalued tech stocks during the dot-com bubble.
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Burry's fund was a huge success, but he faced criticism and eventually shut down Scion Capital in 2008. He then rebranded and relaunched as Scion Asset Management in 2013, focusing on investments in gold, water, and agricultural land.
Michael Burry's investment strategies are often described as "value investing", where he looks for undervalued assets that have the potential to increase in value over time. He's been known to take contrarian views, like when he shorted the mortgage bond market in 2007.
Burry has also been critical of government financial policy, particularly the actions of the Federal Reserve. He's written op-eds and tweeted about his concerns, including a 2010 New York Times piece where he argued that the Fed's policies contributed to the financial crisis.
Despite his success, Burry has also made some incorrect predictions, like his 2023 recession forecast, which he later contradicted.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Michael Burry doing now?
Michael Burry is currently running his own hedge fund, Scion Asset Management, which focuses on a concentrated portfolio of just eight stocks. He has shifted his investment strategy to a more selective approach.
Does Michael Burry have a wife?
Yes, Michael Burry is married. He has a family and was living in Saratoga, California in 2010.
Does Michael Burry own Alibaba?
Yes, Michael Burry's Scion Capital Management owns 45,000 shares of Alibaba Group Holdings Ltd. This investment is part of his strategy to bet on Chinese stocks while managing potential losses.
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