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Michael Burry, known for calling the subprime mortgage crisis, bought a number of regional banks last quarter, betting the industry could weather the crisis, according to a new regulatory filing. Burry’s hedge fund Scion Asset Management picked up New York Community Bancorp , Capital One Financial , Western Alliance , PacWest Bancorp and Huntington Bancshares during the first quarter. The famed investor said in mid-March, after the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank, that he expected the banking crisis to be over soon without severe damage. “This crisis could resolve very quickly. I am not seeing true danger here,” Burry said in a now-deleted tweet in March. However, on May 1, First Republic was seized by regulators to become the biggest bank collapse since the 2008 financial crisis. The bank suffered a deposit flight as its long-term assets fell in market value after a series of rate hikes, triggering worries about unrealized losses on the balance sheet. Burry bought $2 million worth of First Republic Bank shares last quarter, the filing, which reflects Scion’s holdings as of March 31, showed. The stock has lost nearly all of its value after its collapse. To be sure, Burry could have sold his stake before the bank met its demise. JPMorgan this month acquired all of First Republic’s deposits and a “substantial majority of assets.” Money managers with more than $100 million in assets under management are required to disclose long positions with the Securities and Exchange Commission 45 days after a quarter ends. It’s possible that Burry, an active trader, has already adjusted his other bets between the filing date and now. It’s also likely that he was covering his short positions in banks. Burry shot to fame by betting against mortgage-backed securities before the 2008 crisis. Burry was depicted in Michael Lewis’ book “The Big Short” and the subsequent Oscar-winning movie of the same name. The famed investor also drastically increased his bets on Chinese e-commerce leaders JD.com and Alibaba , making them his two-biggest holdings at the end of March. He also built new stakes in Signet Jewelers , Zoom Video , Sibanye Stillwater as well as Cigna .
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