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

Short Stories: The activist short seller

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Producer: Sam Clack

Business Daily meets: Paul Carrick Brunson

It's been two months since the collapse of the key bridge in Baltimore, and the deadline to unblock the port's shipping channel is imminent. The US government has given a loose promise to make it happen by the end of May - but there are doubts that deadline will be met, causing more disruption to the local and global economy. How will businesses on sea and land find a way through more uncertainty? Izzy Greenfield speaks to small businesses who are feeling the impact; from fewer customers to disruption to supply chains. Baltimore used to rank first among US ports for autos and light trucks, handling a record 850,000 vehicles last year. Importantly, the port is where vehicles are processed and labelled to be sold domestically. We hear how the industry is seeing an immediate impact. And we learn about the struggles that transportation workers continue to face. (Image: Baltimore bridge after it collapsed in March 2024. Credit: Getty Images) Presented and produced by Izzy Greenfield

The Baltimore bridge collapse – what happens next?

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Why is olive oil so expensive?

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Do women-only co-working spaces have a future?

Laura Chinchilla was the first woman to serve as president of Costa Rica and one of the first in Latin America. We talk to her about what that journey to the top job in her country was like, and the challenges facing Latin America - from corruption to crime, the drugs trade, migration, the brain drain, poor governance and low economic productivity.  And we consider some of the potential solutions to those problems - solutions that could help Latin America bring prosperity to its people. (Picture: Laura Chinchilla Miranda, former President of Costa Rica, speaking at a conference. Credit: Getty Images) Presented and produced by Gideon Long

Short Stories: The activist short seller

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