The Traderszone Network

Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc’s stock plunged as much as 40 percent on Wednesday after an influential short-seller accused the company of using specialty pharmacies to inflate its revenue, an allegation that the drugmaker denied. Citron Research, a short-selling firm run by Andrew Left, alleged that Valeant’s previously undisclosed ties to specialty pharmacies, including Philidor and R&O Pharmacy Inc, helped the company create “phantom sales” of its products or push more product through distribution channels than sales would warrant.

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As China undergoes a painful rebalancing of an economy that accounts for 16 percent of global GDP – up from below a tenth a decade ago – the International Monetary Fund predicts 5.5 percent growth this year for a region that also includes export powerhouses Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Japan’s exports grew by 0.6 percent from a year earlier in September, the slowest since August last year, data showed on Wednesday, as shipments to China dropped by 3.5 percent.

SanDisk shares hit a high of $78.50 on Wednesday, but closed nearly $10 below the offer price of $86.50 in cash and stock, a fact that analysts attributed to the deal’s complexity. Western Digital said the value of the transaction hinges on the closing of an investment in the company by Unisplendour Corp Ltd, a unit of China’s state-backed Tsinghua Holdings Co Ltd [TSHUAA.UL]. Unisplendour said in September it would buy 15 percent of Western Digital for $3.78 billion, a deal that is likely to face regulatory scrutiny amid national security concerns.

In a clash of social media’s top stocks, a team of Fool contributors make their cases for whether Facebook or Twitter shares offer investors better promise in today’s market.

Asian stocks sagged early Thursday, with an uninspiring lead from Wall Street and lower commodity prices sapping risk appetite.

India’s IPO market is coming back to life as companies take advantage of investor ebullience on the country’s economic prospects.

Markets have rallied since the Fed held its fire on rates, but that doesn’t mean it’s time to pile into emerging markets.