Business Daily

Short selling has gone mainstream. Inspired by the noisy success of activist short sellers, amateur investors are now trying this highly risky strategy themselves. They’re aided by a slew of new trading apps making it possible to short a stock or currency in seconds. Peter Roscoe is a YouTube investing vlogger who’s experienced the highs and lows of short selling. We also hear from the UK boss of...

What’s it like to be on the wrong side of a big short? Former CEO Paul Pittman's company was shorted by an anonymous short seller who made false allegations in order to drive its share price down - way down. This is the story of how Paul and his firm overcame the short attack that cost them millions: and why it’s not just big companies that stand to lose money from rogue shorters on the markets. P...

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...

Andre Schwammlein once wanted to be a pilot – but ended up behind the wheel of a bus and train company instead. The chief executive and co-founder of Flix – the driving force behind Flixbus and Flixtrain - says he was never much of a traveller, but now leads a company that has changed the way millions of people cross countries and continents. In just 10 years, Flixbus has gone from German startup...

The development of new sports stadiums and facilities can bring regeneration to deprived areas. They hold a special place in the hearts of sports and live music fans. But have some of the new ones lost their spark? In this edition of Business Daily, Sam Fenwick asks, what gives a stadium its atmosphere and can it be designed in? Sam speaks to Christopher Lee, whose architecture practice, Populous,...

We’re in Kentucky, where an area which had long ago been abandoned as an industrial site is once again coming to life. US manufacturer Ascend Elements has chosen the site to build a factory for electric car batteries made from recycled ones - an industry previously almost entirely based in China. We explore the government incentives that have drawn the company to build here with US Climate Envoy J...

For years, balsa wood has been a key component in the giant rotor blades on the top of wind turbines. Most of it comes from the rain forests of South America and, in particular, from Ecuador. As the world transitions to green energy, lots of countries – particularly China – have been looking for more balsa to make blades. That pushed up prices, raised questions over sustainability and prompted som...

In an effort to insulate domestic prices, India has banned exports of non basmati white rice - its largest rice category. We ask what the impact of this is on large importing countries. A rice mill owner in Northern Nigeria tells us how the country is expanding its domestic rice production as a result of India’s curb, and we hear from a retailer in the UAE about the purchasing restriction it place...

From Bangladesh to Wall Street and back again, the founder and CEO of Impact Investment Exchange talks to Devina Gupta. Durreen Shahnaz explains how her childhood in socialist Bangladesh and then move to a job on Wall Street in the 1980s shaped the person and businesswoman she is today. From trading stamps with her friends and buying pickles with the profit, she moved on to bigger trades at the he...

Shares in GameStop, the video game store, experienced a dramatic rise in early in 2021. The stock had captured the imagination of many individual investors who heard about it on social media platforms such as TikTok and Reddit. Some investors made a lot of money, while some hedge funds, who had bet against the stock, lost billions. Eventually, though, GameStop shares crashed back to earth and many...

In May this year, Nigerian president Bola Tinubu took office – and announced an end to fuel subsidies. He said the move would free up money for investment in public services and infrastructure projects, but it caused a spike in prices and, in some cases, triggered street protests. We explore the impact of removing the subsidy on residents and businesses, and the knock on-effect for neighbouring co...

In 2020, Napa Valley experienced its most destructive wildfire ever. Vineyards burned, leaving not only direct damage, but more long lasting impact with wine affected by smoke taint. We hear how the perennial presence of wildfires means local businesses face a harsh reality of living with the risk of fire. Sophie Long visits wine makers who are using inflammable materials to build new wineries, ch...

The event is facing its biggest financing challenge in its 93-year history. There is no host city for the next edition in 2026, and the Commonwealth Games Federation is struggling to persuade other cities to host after that. We speak to academics who say the model of structuring and paying for the Games is broken. Some observers go further – saying the Games and the Commonwealth itself are relics...

We speak to Greek designer Dimitra Petsa - founder of Di Petsa - a brand which has been worn by celebrities around the world. She graduated from fashion school five years ago and since then has launched her own fashion brand. Very few make it in the fashion world - Dimitra explains how she did it from mentors and getting exposure to creating business plans and coming up with business strategies. P...

In the UK, brides spend an average of £1,400 on a dress for the big day. But inflation and the rising cost of living means that's starting to change. We look at the trend of spending less on wedding dresses - buying them ready-to-wear from a boutique in London, or even from a supermarket. And we're in India where some brides are starting to spend less - not always easy when spending lavishly on we...

Paris is the most visited city in the world and one of the things it’s known for, is fashion. But what is it about the City of Light that makes it a popular destination for businesses? In this programme, Hannah Mullane speaks to a personal shopper, who relies on fashion tourists for her business, as well as fashion start-ups choosing to base themselves in Paris. Hannah also meets a stylist and fas...

Duplicate products, or dupes, are flooding social media. Dupes are clothes, beauty products, homeware that are cheaper than the recognisable brand, but still look similar. We hear from shoppers and fashion experts about this growing trend and its impact on the market. And we speak to athleisure wear company Lululemon, who are trying to work out how to respond to the number of dupes of their produc...

Twenty-five years ago Puma became the first big sports brand to collaborate with a fashion house. Since then all of the big players have been collaborating with celebrities, sports stars and high fashion brands. Hannah Mullane speaks to Heiko Desens, the creative director at Puma about how these big collaborations work behind the scenes and what they mean for business, and fashion designer Alejand...

The shipping industry is looking for solutions to it's emissions problem. Shipping giant Maersk has just unveiled the world’s first container ship to run on green methanol - is this the answer? We hear from Maersk’s CEO about why they’ think this is the best bet. And we find out more about some of the different options in development, such as hydrogen and green ammonia, all vying to become the fut...

Xi Jinping announced a massive building project along the ‘New Silk Road’ to very little fanfare in Kazakhstan 10 years ago this month. Infrastructure including railways, roads and ports have been built in 165 countries to date, as part of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Billions of dollars has been lent to countries in Africa, Asia, Europe and South America. Some are now struggling to afford...

You may not be familiar with the vicuna, but in Peru, where it's the national animal, the smallest relative of the llama is revered - particularly for its fine and insulating coat. In this programme, Stefania Gozzer travels to the Peruvian Andes, to meet the animals that produce one of the most expensive wools in the world. Demand for their coveted fleece once led them near extinction, but now it...

What used to be a fairly niche industry is now on the increase, with companies setting up removal clinics around the world. And no surprise – as more people get tattoos, more people night change their minds and want them removing. We meet the regretful clients and the companies cashing in, and also explore the world of cosmetic and medical tattooing. Presenter and producer: Elizabeth Hotson(Image:...

Where do you go to get financial advice? More and more people are turning to Instagram, YouTube and TikTok for money matters. David Harper meets the ‘Finfluencers’ – financial influencers entertaining and educating young people around the world, and bringing in big numbers in the process. Caleb Hammer is a YouTuber with over 600,000 subscribers who conducts financial audits on the forensic financi...

How do you make an artisan product at scale? We head to the UK factory of Biscuiteers, where millions of biscuits are hand-iced every year, from treats shaped like designer bags to edible versions of favourite cartoon characters. Harriet Hastings is the co-founder of the company - in this episode, she shares her business advice, explains why marketing is key and talks about running a business with...

It’s been a long wait for tech billionaire Elon Musk to push into India’s EV market. High import duties have kept Tesla out of India so far. Mr Musk has repeatedly sought to lower those duties, but the government wants the company to manufacture cars locally before considering tax breaks. Now there seems to be an agreement on the horizon. But is India’s EV ecosystem ready for it? Presenter/produce...