We’re proud to release this week’s special episode, an interview with our wonderful guest, Gautam Baid. Gautam is a CFA charterholder and the author of the international best-seller, The Joys of Compounding, a book that was shortlisted in the Berkshire Hathaway selection of 2025. Gautam is also the Managing Partner of Stellar Wealth Partners India Fund, a Delaware-based investment partnership which is available to accredited investors in the US.
Our conversation with Gautam covered multiple fascinating topics – such as special situations like spinoffs in India, his journey that included applying for 1,300 jobs before finding a portfolio manager position at a multi-billion dollar firm and the numerous lessons he learned along the way. We learned so much from this discussion, and we hope our listeners will too.
Check out InsideArbitrage here: https://www.insidearbitrage.com/
Check out Gautam Baid here: https://stellarwealthindia.com and https://a.co/d/2qPE68F
We apologize for the delay in this week's episode, caused by AWS issues that impacted our podcast recording and processing platform.
Summary:
In this episode of the Special Situations Report, hosts Asif and Tamanna Suria discuss the latest developments in the event-driven investing world, focusing on M&A activity, stock buybacks, insider trading, spinoffs, and significant management changes. The two continue with the new format by focusing on four key stories, including the merger of two timber REITs, a massive stock buyback at Synchrony Financial, insider purchases amidst some fascinating developments at Sable Offshore, and Starboard Value taking a stake in Keurig Dr Pepper.
Keywords:
M&A, merger arbitrage, bidding wars, shareholder opposition, deals in the works, insider buying, insider sales, buybacks, C-suite transitions, spinoffs, activists, activist campaigns, failed mergers, management transitions, special situations, event-driven investing, markets, stocks
Summary:
In this episode of the Special Situations Report, hosts Asif and Tamanna Suria discuss the latest developments in the event-driven investing world, focusing on M&A activity, stock buybacks, insider trading, spinoffs, and significant management changes. The two continue with the new format by focusing on four key stories, including multiple investors opposing the acquisition of STAAR Surgical by Alcon, the acquisition of Akero Therapeutics by Novo Nordisk in a $4.7 billion deal, an intriguing insider purchase at Scholar Rock Holdings, and the appointment of a new CFO at Pepsi following activist involvement by Elliott Management.
Keywords:
M&A, merger arbitrage, bidding wars, shareholder opposition, deals in the works, insider buying, insider sales, buybacks, C-suite transitions, spinoffs, activists, activist campaigns, failed mergers, management transitions, special situations, event-driven investing, markets, stocks
Summary:
In this episode of the Special Situations Report, hosts Asif and Tamanna Suria discuss the latest developments in the event-driven investing world, focusing on M&A activity, stock buybacks, insider trading, spinoffs, and significant management changes. The two continue with the new format by focusing on five key stories, including the largest leveraged buyout when a consortium of investors decided to buy videogame publisher Electronic Arts, the spinoff of Alphabet’s lifesciences division, a large stock buyback announcement at rare diseases focused biotech Catalyst Pharmaceuticals, an intriguing insider purchase at Miami International Holdings and activist involvement in mental health company Acadia Healthcare.
Keywords:
M&A, merger arbitrage, bidding wars, shareholder opposition, deals in the works, insider buying, insider sales, buybacks, C-suite transitions, spinoffs, activists, activist campaigns, failed mergers, management transitions, special situations, event-driven investing, markets, stocks
Summary:
We are continuing with our new format by focusing on four key stories, including a deal between the two largest real estate brokerage companies Anywhere Real Estate and Compass, a combination of stock buybacks and insider buying at the semiconductor company Marvell, the largest insider purchase ever and Elliott’s involvement with enterprise software company Workday.
Because we interviewed Evan Tindell for our podcast last week, we also have several updates related to special situations that have occurred over the last two weeks.
Keywords:
M&A, merger arbitrage, bidding wars, shareholder opposition, deals in the works, insider buying, insider sales, buybacks, C-suite transitions, spinoffs, activists, activist campaigns, failed mergers, management transitions, special situations, event-driven investing, markets, stocks
We’re proud to release this week’s special episode, an interview with our wonderful guest, Evan Tindell. Evan is the Co-Founder and Chief Investment Officer of Bireme Capital, where he develops firm-wide investment strategy and performs both bottom-up research and portfolio management for the flagship Fundamental Value strategy. Evan was formerly a professional poker player, where his successes included a 10th-place finish at a European Poker Tour event. Our conversation with Evan covered multiple fascinating topics – ranging from investment background, idea generation, parallels between poker and investing, exploiting various investor biases, and so much more. We dived deep into specific companies such as Lyft, with a specific focus on the competitive landscape with the rise of robotaxis like Waymo and the partnership with Baidu. We also discussed the differences between investing in international markets as opposed to the U.S., noting that access to information has improved greatly with the help of AI. We learned so much from this discussion, and we hope our listeners will too. Check out InsideArbitrage here: https://www.insidearbitrage.com/ Check out Evan Tindell here: https://www.biremecapital.com/ and https://x.com/evantindell
Summary:
In this episode of the Special Situations Report, hosts Asif and Tamanna Suria discuss the latest developments in the event-driven investing world, focusing on M&A activity, stock buybacks, insider trading, spinoffs, and significant management changes. The two continue with the new style for today’s podcast – where they discuss four key stories, including a deal between the satellite company Echostar and SpaceX, shareholder opposition to Blackstone’s take-private of TaskUs, two different activists getting involved with the accounting and payments software company Bill.com, and the largest corporate pay package in history. Before we begin, we want to state that nothing on this podcast is meant as investment advice. Please refer to our disclaimer at the end for more details.
Keywords:
M&A, merger arbitrage, bidding wars, shareholder opposition, deals in the works, insider buying, insider sales, buybacks, C-suite transitions, spinoffs, activists, failed mergers, management transitions, special situations, event-driven investing, markets, stocks
Summary:
In this episode of the Special Situations Report, hosts Asif and Tamanna Suria discuss the latest developments in the event-driven investing world, focusing on M&A activity, stock buybacks, insider trading, spinoffs, and significant management changes. The two try continue with the new style for today’s podcast – where they discuss five key stories, including the second largest acquisition of the year, a proposed spinoff by Keurig Dr. Pepper, a massive $20 billion buyback announcement by Salesforce, and insider buying at Resideo, a company that was spun out of Honeywell many moons ago and that is now planning a spinoff of its own.
Keywords:M&A, merger arbitrage, bidding wars, deals in the works, insider buying, insider sales, buybacks, C-suite transitions, spinoffs, activists, failed mergers, management transitions, special situations, event-driven investing, markets, stocks
Summary:
In this episode of the Special Situations Report, hosts Asif and Tamanna Suria discuss the latest developments in the event-driven investing world, focusing on M&A activity, stock buybacks, insider trading, spinoffs, and significant management changes. The two try out a bit of a different style for today’s podcast – where they discuss four key stories, including a potential bidding war for Canada Goose, a flip-flopping insider at a pediatric orthopedic company, a unique buyback at a Bitcoin treasury company, and a C-Suite transition at everyone’s favorite footwear brand Crocs.
Keywords:
M&A, merger arbitrage, bidding wars, deals in the works, insider buying, insider sales, buybacks, C-suite transitions, spinoffs, activists, failed mergers, management transitions, special situations, event-driven investing, markets, stocks
Summary:
On today’s podcast we will discuss an even higher bid for Dallas News, multiple rumored deals that came to fruition including the acquisitions of Tegna, Soho House, Guess and DayForce. Things heated up in the stock buybacks area as well with large buybacks announced by Pediatrix Medical Group, insurance company Old Republic, Sprouts Farmers Market and the dialysis services company DaVita. We also discuss a fascinating insider purchase of Madrigal Pharmaceuticals by the GOATs of biotech investing and multiple sudden C-suite departures.
Keywords:
M&A, merger arbitrage, bidding wars, deals in the works, insider buying, insider sales, buybacks, C-suite transitions, spinoffs, activists, failed mergers, management transitions, special situations, event-driven investing, markets, stocks
Summary:
In this episode of the Special Situations Report, hosts Asif and Tamanna Suria discuss the latest developments in the event-driven investing world, focusing on M&A activity, stock buybacks, insider trading, spinoffs, and significant management changes. The two try out a bit of a different style for today’s podcast – where they discuss five key stories, including the bidding war for Dallas News, a look at busted biotechs, a proposed spinoff at the broadcasting company Sinclair, and insider purchases at SuRo Capital and Bausch Health
Keywords:
M&A, merger arbitrage, bidding wars, deals in the works, insider buying, insider sales, buybacks, C-suite transitions, spinoffs, activists, failed mergers, management transitions, special situations, event-driven investing, markets, stocks
We’re proud to release this week’s special episode, an interview with our wonderful guest, Andrew Walker. Andrew is a portfolio manager at Rangeley Capital and the host of Yet Another Value Podcast. He also runs an investment newsletter service, Yet Another Value Blog, where he delivers value investing insights and perspectives applied to special situations investing.
Our conversation with Andrew covered multiple fascinating topics – ranging from investment background, idea generation, market volatility, the SPAC resurgence, and so much more. We dived deep into specific companies such as Carvana, covering both the bull and bear theses for the business, as well as the Lionsgate spinoff. We also discussed crypto treasury companies, especially as tied to relative value arbitrage and taking advantage of these companies trading above NAV. We learned so much from this discussion and we hope our listeners will too.
Check out InsideArbitrage here: https://www.insidearbitrage.com/
Check out Andrew Walker and his Yet Another Value Empire here: https://www.yetanothervalueblog.com/
We’re proud to release this week’s special episode, an interview with our wonderful guest, Julian Klymochko. Julian is the Founder and CEO of Accelerate, a leading provider of alternative investment solutions. Julian is recognized as one of Canada’s leading experts in alternative investments and frequently speaks at industry events. He has been featured in some of the world’s top financial and business media including Bloomberg, CNBC, The Wall Street Journal, BNN, Business Insider, and The Globe and Mail. Julian is the author of the book Reminiscences of a Hedge Fund Operator and host of the Absolute Return Podcast.
Our conversation with Julian covered multiple fascinating topics – ranging from investment background, portfolio structure, idea generation, and so much more. We dived deep into the different ETFs that Accelerate offers, and how those strategies developed over time. During the course of our interview, we also delved into specific companies and mergers, such as the acquisition of Core Scientific by CoreWeave. We then covered the overall resurgence in the SPAC market, especially as it tied to crypto treasury companies. We learned so much from this discussion and we hope our listeners will too. Check out InsideArbitrage here: https://www.insidearbitrage.com/ Check out Julian Klymochko and Accelerate here: https://accelerateshares.com
Summary:
In this episode of the Special Situations Report, hosts Asif and Tamanna Suria discuss the latest developments in the event-driven investing world, focusing on M&A activity, stock buybacks, insider trading, spinoffs, and significant management changes. The two discuss a potential large acquisition of the railroad Norfolk Southern by Union Pacific, a potential bidding war for the DallasNews, the spinoff of Beyond’s blockchain assets, stock buybacks at Bank of America and Southwest Airlines, insider purchases at a Solana treasury company as well as a food products company, a new CFO appointment at a beaten down cancer focused biotech company and a whole lot more.
Keywords:
M&A, merger arbitrage, bidding wars, deals in the works, insider buying, insider sales, buybacks, C-suite transitions, spinoffs, activists, failed mergers, management transitions, special situations, event-driven investing, markets, stocks
Summary:
In this episode of the Special Situations Report, hosts Asif and Tamanna Suria discuss the latest developments in the event-driven investing world, focusing on M&A activity, stock buybacks, insider trading, spinoffs, and significant management changes. The two discuss he completion of two large M&A transactions that had more twists and turns than a Christopher Nolan movie, the acquisition of a Chinese electric car company that is trading at a negative spread, an outsized CVR attached to the acquisition of Monogram’s acquisition by Zimmer, a flip flopping insider purchase at biotech company Dyne Therapeutics, Elliott’s activist involvement in Global Payments and a whole lot more.
Keywords:
M&A, merger arbitrage, deals in the works, insider buying, insider sales, buybacks, C-suite transitions, spinoffs, activists, failed mergers, management transitions, special situations, event-driven investing, markets, stocks
Summary:
In this episode of the Special Situations Report, hosts Asif and Tamanna Suria discuss the latest developments in the event-driven investing world, focusing on M&A activity, stock buybacks, insider trading, spinoffs, and significant management changes. The two discuss Concentra Biosciences swooping in again to buy a yet another cash rich zombie biotech company, the Italian chocolate maker Ferrero acquiring the breakfast cereal company WK Kellogg, Kraft Heinz deciding to split itself by spinning off its grocery business, CoreWeave finally deciding to acquire Core Scientific after on again off again rumors that a deal was likely, a large buyback announcement at fintech platform provider The Bancorp, a new CEO announcement at Baxter that caught our attention because of his long stint in Danaher’s management ranks, and a whole lot more.
Keywords:
M&A, merger arbitrage, deals in the works, insider buying, insider sales, buybacks, C-suite transitions, spinoffs, activists, failed mergers, management transitions, special situations, event-driven investing, markets, stocks
This week we discuss:Home Depot (HD) outbidding Brad Jacobs’ QXO (QXO) to acquire GMS (GMS)Concentra Biosciences acquiring yet another cash rich microcap biotech companyA potential deal for Verint Systems (VRNT) by Thoma BravoThe Sears spinoff Lands' End (LE) receiving competing bids from rival apparel companiesThe spinoff of Ralliant (RAL) from Fortive (FTV)A large number of buyback announcements at some of the biggest banks including JPMorgan (JPM)... and a whole lot more.
Keywords:
M&A, merger arbitrage, bidding wars, Brad Jacobs, QXO, credit, insider buying, insider sales, buybacks, C-suite transitions, spinoffs, activists, failed mergers, management transitions, special situations, event-driven investing, markets, stocks
Summary:In this episode of the Special Situations Report, hosts Asif and Tamanna Suria discuss the latest developments in the event-driven investing world, focusing on M&A activity, stock buybacks, insider trading, spinoffs, and significant management changes. The episode begins with a discussion of multiple deals in the works – including Brad Jacob’s newest bid for the construction products company GMS (and a potential rival bid from Home Depot) and briefly covers the since-squashed rumor that Shell would acquire its rival BP. Another important M&A headline covered in this episode include the closing of the Regulus and Novartis deal, the announced acquisition of Sage Therapeutics by Supernus Pharmaceuticals, the merger of two grocery chains, and more. The episode continues by breaking down the dilemna bondholders of Warner Bros Discovery faced regarding the planned spinoff and covers a large buyback at Vivek Ramaswamy’s Roivant. Asif and Tamanna then go onto discuss a number of fascinating buybacks, including a buyback announcement coupled with a secondary offering that sent Torrid’s stock price into free fall and a geopolitical buyback at the Indian travel company MakeMyTrip. The episode wraps up by covering a number of C-Suite transitions at companies such as Postal Realty Trust, Asana, Fastly, and FrontView REIT.
Keywords:M&A, merger arbitrage, bidding wars, Brad Jacobs, QXO, credit, bonds, covenants, insider buying, insider sales, buybacks, C-suite transitions, spinoffs, activists, failed mergers, management transitions, special situations, event-driven investing, markets, stocks
We’re proud to release this week’s special episode, our third-ever interview with our wonderful guest, Luis Sanchez. Luis Sanchez is the Founder and Managing Partner of LVS Advisory, a boutique investment advisory firm. His professional experience spans investment banking, consulting, and investment management. His investment insights have been featured in media outlets including CNBC, Yahoo Finance, Fox Business, The Motley Fool, The Manuel of Ideas, and more.
Our conversation with Luis covered multiple fascinating topics – ranging from investment background, portfolio optimization, risk management, idea generation, and so much more. We also dived deep into how Luis's strategy has evolved over time, and the differences between and benefits of having both an event-driven and a growth strategy. During the course of our interview, we also delved into Luis's investment thesis for Netflix, and his thoughts on the biotech space in general - with a specific focus on contract research organizations (CROs) like Medpace and Icon and the impact of artificial intelligence. We learned so much from this discussion and we hope our listeners will too. Next week’s episode will cover the past week’s special situations activity as per usual, and also include any important announcements from this week as well.
Check out InsideArbitrage here: https://www.insidearbitrage.com/
Check out Luis Sanchez and LVS Advisory here: https://lvsadvisory.com/
Summary:
In this episode of the Special Situations Report, hosts Asif and Tamanna Suria discuss the latest developments in the event-driven investing world, focusing on M&A activity, stock buybacks, insider trading, spinoffs, and significant management changes. The episode begins with a discussion of numerous deals in the works at companies such as Foward Air, Calavo Growers, Papa John’s, and Telus International. Asif and Tamanna then go on to discuss the details between the proposed separation of Warners Bros Discovery and cover two fascinating insider purchases at Quanterix and Bausch Health, including an insider purchase by the hedge fund legend John Paulson. The episode continues by covering activist activity at Lamb Weston, Provident Bancorp, and Novo Nordisk. Last but not least, the episode concludes by highlighting a C-Suite transition that brings the CFO of Paramount over to the rapidly growing Roblox.
Keywords:
M&A, merger arbitrage, insider buying, insider sales, buybacks, C-suite transitions, spinoffs, activists, failed mergers, management transitions, special situations, event-driven investing, markets, stocks
