Ackman says he will have to think ‘very hard’ before making another short bet

• William Ackman, who runs US$20 billion Pershing Square Capital Management, is hesitant to take on another short campaign after Herbalife Ltd. because it’s not a productive use of time.

“I would have to think very hard before doing another public short,” he said in a Bloomberg Television interview with Stephanie Ruhle at the Sohn Investment Conference in New York on Monday.

“There are easier ways to make money.”

Ackman also said he was leaving CSX Corp. off his agenda for discussion at the hedge-fund conference, and the railroad’s shares slumped the most in more than a month.

“I’ ll save you time and energy — we’re not going to talk about CSX,” Ackman said in a CNBC interview. “Maybe no one will show up now.”

The stock’s reaction showed investors’ continued interest in whether the biggest eastern U.S. carrier may eventually be involved in an industry merger.

Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd., where Ackman led a boardroom coup in 2012 after Pershing became the biggest shareholder, held exploratory talks last year about a tie-up with Jacksonville, Fla.-based CSX.

Ackman has bet against Herbalife since 2012.

He has accused the nutrition company of being a pyramid scheme. He’s going to continue the campaign, he said, and expects the company to have a bad quarter when it announces earnings Tuesday.