Harbin Electric Shares Plunged: What You Need to Know

Although we don't believe in timing the market or panicking over market movements, we do like to keep an eye on big changes -- just in case they're material to our investing thesis.

What: Shares of Chinese company Harbin Electric (NAS: HRBN) fell as much as 19% in intraday trading today as the up-and-down stock swung wildly to the downside.

So what:Citron Research is back punching another Chinese stock in the gut, and the market responded by punishing shares early this morning. Among other things, Citron says a potential buyout is a complete farce, revenues are overstated, and exports aren't anywhere near what the company says.

Now what: Usually a short-seller's report doesn't mean a lot, but Citron has built a solid reputation over the past year and is at least worth checking out if you own shares. Disclosure isn't exactly Citron's strong suit as you can read on its homepage, and there may be self-interest involved, so read with that context in mind. Here at The Motley Fool we've debated Harbin over and over, and the only consensus among writers is we wouldn't want to bet on this company one way or the other. Personally, my stomach just couldn't handle the rollercoaster ride.

Interested in more info on Harbin Electric? Add it to your watchlist.

At the time thisarticle was published Fool contributor Travis Hoium does not have a position in any company mentioned. You can follow Travis on Twitter at @FlushDrawFool, check out his personal stock holdings or follow his CAPS picks at TMFFlushDraw.Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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