Trade of the Week: HP's share woes

Hewlett-Packard double-digit share fall this week was greeted by a chorus of ‘I told you so’ from equity investors – and offered a smart return for holders of put option strategies

Shares in computer giant Hewlett-Packard fell by more than 10% on Tuesday, as the company faced an $8.8bn writedown on its acquisition of UK software firm Autonomy, offering a smart return for holders of put option strategies.

In a statement accompanying its earnings release on Tuesday, HP accused Autonomy of "serious accounting improprieties" and "outright misrepresentations" designed to inflate its value ahead of its agreed $11.7bn sale to HP last August. Autonomy's then chief executive Mike Lynch has strenuously denied the charges.

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Ray Dalio Sells Last Stake in Bridgewater, the Hedge Fund That Made Him a Billionaire