Bill Ackman is in talks to launch a strategy that would make big bets on complacency in financial markets, in a bid to mimic the success of doomsday trades the billionaire investor made during the pandemic.

Universal Music Group faces a Pershing Square merger bid and NYSE relisting risk. See why growth and leverage concerns suggest selling UMGNF now.

The music giant said it will review the proposal and analyze its implications for shareholders, employees, artists and songwriters.

Ackman's bullish stance comes at a time when markets have been rattled by rising energy prices and sticky inflation concerns.

Bill Ackman calls Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac undervalued, predicting 10x upside amid conservatorship delays and tensions

While reports about Ackman making the offer surface, it is worth knowing about their net worths. According to Forbes, Bill Ackman has a net worth of $8.9 billion as of April 8, 2026. Meanwhile, UMG CEO Lucian Grainge's net worth has been stated as $250 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.

Pershing Square originally bought a stake in UMG in 2021 at a $40 billion valuation, and Ackman sat on the label’s board until last year. Ackman, a billionaire, is known by many as an activist investor with key investments in brands like Chipotle and Herbalife.

Bill Ackman is reportedly in talks to launch a new fund in an attempt to copy the success of doomsday trades the investor made during the covid pandemic. The billionaire hedge fund manager’s investment company Pershing Square would use the fund to make “asymmetric” trades aimed at profiting by betting against the leading market narratives,

This is the latest move by the hedge fund manager to be the modern-day Warren Buffett.