logo
episode-header-image
Oct 2023
18m 17s

Short Stories: The activist short seller

Bbc World Service
About this episode

Short selling – the trade where you hope a stock’s value will fall rather than rise. If it does, the trader can win. Big.

That’s led to the growth of what’s called the activist short seller. A trader who comes out to tell the world why a company’s stock should be lower than it is. They’re betting on its failure.

Carson Block from the firm Muddy Waters is one of the most prominent new short sellers – vocal on the news and social media, he explains why the companies he shorts are usually the ones with something to hide.

Producer: Ciaran Tracey Presenter: Leanna Byrne

Up next
Yesterday
The whistleblower who exposed a massive tax scam
We hear from a man who was once a high-earning, high flyer in the finance industry. But, after he blew the whistle on a major financial scandal, he found himself unemployable and being sued for every cent he owned. Jas Bains tells us his story.If you'd like to get in touch with t ... Show More
17m 28s
Mar 29
After Liberation Day: Who is footing the tariffs bill?
For nearly 12 months, a raft of import duties - tariffs - have made it much more expensive to ship consumer goods into the United States. They have shaken up global trade and according to the Federal Reserve, significantly raised inflation. But who is really footing the bill for ... Show More
17m 48s
Mar 27
Mighty Patch founder Ju Rhyu
We meet the founder of Hero Cosmetics, the brand behind Mighty Patch, a skin patch that's designed to improve the appearance of acne. Patches like these have become increasingly mainstream. We hear how Ju Rhyu went from being jobless during two recessions to creating a global, be ... Show More
17m 17s
Recommended Episodes
May 2021
Carson Block on the Short-Selling Market (Podcast)
Bloomberg Opinion columnist Barry Ritholtz speaks with Carson Block, who is the chief investment officer of Muddy Waters Capital LLC, an activist investment firm with $261 million in assets under management. Block was featured in the book "The Most Dangerous Trade: How Short Sell ... Show More
1h 24m
Nov 2023
South Korea vs. Naked Short Sellers
To stop some bad behavior, sometimes you have to stop letting people do other stuff too. (00:14) Bill Mann and Dylan Lewis discuss: South Korea banning borrowing shares to address issues with illegal naked short selling. Robinhood “normalizing” and becoming a little Buffett-lik ... Show More
25m 28s
Jan 2023
Stocks For China’s New Bull Market
A bull market in the MSCI Asia Pacific index doesn’t mean investors should make rash investment decisions.   (0:21) Bill Mann discusses: - How U.S. companies can be a better way to play China’s reopening - Jay Powell’s latest speech reinforcing the Fed’s focus on stability - The ... Show More
23m 33s
Jan 2022
Tom Sosnoff & the Retail Play; Mattel’s Doll Deal; Chips Needed
<p>The market’s wild swings have not deterred retail investors; Tastytrade founder Tom Sosnoff breaks down trading volume and trading appetite among the smaller market players. ARK Invest’s <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2022/01/25/undeterred-cathie-wood-says-shes-using-the-sell-o ... Show More
27m 8s
Jul 2024
From Homeless to Millionaire Trader using ‘Buy The Dip’ Trading Strategy |Roland Wolf
Day trading stocks seems complicated because we’ve heard many different technical strategies online, especially when they involve the small-cap stocks. But today, we have a very special trader who actually figured out his path to consistency and made millions doing one simple thi ... Show More
1h 26m
Mar 2023
What's Your Investing Thesis?
It's always a good idea to know why you're about to invest in a business. (0:21) Jason Moser discusses: - Short-term catalysts, long-term trends, and why it's ok to invest in both - The importance of understanding how a business makes money - Reasons to sell a stock (10:17) Dei ... Show More
22m 14s
Feb 2024
These Aren’t the Shorts You Are Looking for with Luke Gromen of FFTT
On this episode of “On The Tape,” Guy Adami, Dan Nathan and Danny Moses discuss the broken market structure, opportunities in the market, China and more! Later, Danny and Guy sit down with Luke Gromen, founder of Forest from the Trees, for his macro view and bullish stock market ... Show More
1h 9m