Bruised, Herbalife swings back at an accuser

New York

THIS Wall Street brawl began with a billion-dollar bet.

Then, William Ackman, the investor who landed the first blow with his bet against Herbalife, escalated the fight. He called the multibillion-dollar nutritional supplements company a "pyramid scheme", likening its practices to those of the mafia and the Nazis. Mr Ackman also lobbied federal authorities to bring Herbalife to its knees, an outcome that would reap a windfall for his hedge fund.