News of Ex-Stripper Turned Hedge Fund Manager is False, Says CNBC

CNBC investigated reports of the ex-stripper turned hedge fund manager Niki Marx. Marx claims on her LinkedIn page that she works at Marx NY Capital LLC and specializes in domestic equities, options and global commodities. Her Facebook page states that her fund returned 160% YTD and her Twitter account announced that she was up 74% in just one day on Ralph Lauren calls.

New York Post Reports

Reports of Niki Marx as a hedge fund manager reportedly originated in the New York Post, according to CNBC. The New York Post piece spoke of Marx in reference to a complaint she filed against the HQ Gentlemen’s Club in NY. Marx had initially filed paper on harassment over her treatment during her two-month tenure there in 2008. Marx filed a rebuttal this week claiming that HQ had made her Social Security number and cellphone numbers public by including them in its response to her complaint. The Post reports that Marx started trading earlier this year.

How Does CNBC Spot a Fake?

Marx lists a residential building as her office and her name has not appeared in any filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Moreover, hedge fund managers are prohibited from general solicitation of the public, so posting performance on Facebook or Twitter would be a big no-no. She also has songs for sale on iTunes and several music videos on YouTube. This may not preclude her from being a hedge fund manager, but most hedge fund managers don’t unwind by singing rap-meets-pop music.

Of course, the obvious question is whether Niki Marx is just a stage name. If she is a hedge fund manager, she could use a different name.