Merckle was shorting shares of Volkswagen when, in October 2008, a short squeeze sent shares on the Xetra dax from 210.85 euros to over 900 euros in less than two days.

• 他去世后他的家人在一份声明中说，全球金融危机导致他公司陷入困境，使他精神崩溃，最终自杀。