Hedge Fund Titan David Tepper Pounds the Table for Stocks

Hedge fund manager David Tepper has generated $12.5 billion since his firm Appaloosa Management launched in 1993. That makes him one of the top ten moneymakers in an industry known for its enormous returns.

But the camera-shy investor is hardly a household name like George Soros or John Paulson. Indeed, a CNBC anchor compared Tepper to the elusive Carlos the Jackal and joked that he did not know what the fund manager looked like during Tepper's rare television appearance Friday morning (see video below).

And perhaps because of his status as a recluse, his strongly bullish statement of support for stocks carries a special punch. Tepper's reasoning is simple but persuasive. If the economy picks up steam, stocks should continue to rally. A relapse, meanwhile, would provoke further stimulation by policymakers -- and that should boost equities in the intermediate term too.

Tepper doesn't pretend to be overly meticulous or exhaustive. "I am the animal at the head of the pack," he said in a widely circulated description of his investment process. "I either get eaten, or I get the good grass." In financial markets packed with endless reams of data and perpetual analysis, though, Tepper's ability to see the forest for the trees may ultimately be the most persuasive aspect.

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