The Mattress Firm, The Buyout, The Collapse, The Hedge Fund That Mis-Timed And What It Means For You

For most people, mattresses are boring, essential household items and selling them is hardly a glamorous business either. You would probably not expect to uncover one of the largest frauds of the past decade studying a mattress firm.

But that's exactly what hedge fund JHL Capital ended up doing when it got involved with Mattress Firm.

JHL Capital has a record of spotting terrible companies. In 2015, the firm was one of the first to call out the businesses practice of using leverage to roll-up businesses; a strategy made famous by Valeant Pharmaceuticals. And today, the hedge fund is on the lookout for companies that might be impacted by "Quantitative Tightening."

JHL's search for attractive short positions led it to Mattress Firm...