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Net Net: Promoting innovation and managing change

Short-seller Chanos falls double digits in '13

Jim Chanos, president and founder of Kynikos Associates.
Adam Jeffery | CNBC

Even the mightiest short seller on Wall Street was no match for the bull market of 2013.

Jim Chanos's Kynikos Opportunity Fund fell 13.6% net of fees last year, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal late Friday. That, according to the paper, represented the fund's largest decline in at least a decade.

Chanos and other representatives of Kynikos Associates, which managed about $6 billion as of July, didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.

Kynikos is the largest short focused hedge fund firm. While Chanos is often public about his investment positions, performance information of his funds are difficult to obtain.

Chanos' losses were not in isolation as most short sellers suffered last year. And it's possible Kynikos has rebounded so far in 2014, when many stocks have declined in value. His funds also trade stocks both long and short.

Chanos: US market risks increased dramatically
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Chanos: US market risks increased dramatically

"I think the risks have increased in the U.S. market rather dramatically in the past year," Chanos told CNBC's "Closing Bell" on Dec. 19. "Are we at some sort of top? I have no idea, but I do know that people that were eschewing risk in 2009 when they should have been taking it are now embracing it in late 2013."

(Read more: Why it's time to get short: Jim Chanos)

Chanos has recently been public about his dislike of Caterpillar, CGI Group and banks in China.

He has also said he likes Visa and MasterCard as long bets.

(Read more: )

—By CNBC's Lawrence Delevingne. Follow him on Twitter @ldelevingne.