Carson Block
Carson Block is the Founder and Chief Investment Officer of Muddy Waters Research, an activist investment firm that utilizes an investigative financial journalism-based strategy. Block is a high profile investor and short seller. He has made a name for himself for exposing suspicious companies and shorting them for profit. He is best known for his takedown of Sino-Forest, which ultimately led hedge fund billionaire John Paulson to lose millions and eventually sell out of the stock. Prior to founding Muddy Waters, Block was a lawyer in Shanghai with international law firm Jones Day, where he focused on mergers and acquisitions and foreign direct investment in China.
Carson Block Professional Experience / Academic History
Professional Experience
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Founder and Chief Investment Officer
Academic History
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J.D., Law
Block is possibly the world's most feared short-seller and fraud-sniffing dog. His ten-year reign has been demonstrated from China to France.
He has become one of the most notable names in short-selling by racking up some big-name wins in Asia, the US and Europe.
He has been a closely watched short seller ever since betting against Sino-Forest, which was ultimately delisted from the Toronto Stock Exchange in the aftermath of Muddy Waters' 2011 report.
Muddy Waters’ activist campaigns have assisted regulators with identifying and delisting problematic public companies around the globe.
The firm conducts extensive due diligence-based investment research on Hong Kong, Europe, Canada, and the United States, to name a few.
RECOGNITIONS
Bloomberg Markets Magazine named him one of the “50 Most Influential in Global Finance.”
In September 2015, Block was featured in the book, The Most Dangerous Trade: How Short Sellers Uncover Fraud, Keep Markets Honest, and Make and Lose Billions, by former Bloomberg writer Richard Teitelbaum.
EDUCATION
B.S., Business, University of Southern California
MEDIA & APPEARANCES
Block has become a regular presence on both CNBC, Bloomberg, and BBC where he would rail against his latest short target.
He has written op-eds in the Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, and New York Times on various topics related to improving corporate governance and market transparency.
He has also been featured or appeared in Business Insider, Forbes, Yahoo! Finance, Reuters, Barron's, The Atlantic, Fox Business, The Times, Institutional Investor, Financial Post, The Guardian, The Economist, New York Post, MarketWatch, and Real Vision, among others.