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That Time We Shorted America, Part Two : Planet Money Everyone said betting against the entire stock market was a terrible idea. We did it anyway. Today, we find out the results, and revisit the first short ever done in the 17th century.

Planet Money

That Time We Shorted America, Part Two

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David Kestenbaum

That Time We Shorted America, Part Two

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Stress on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Drew Angerer/Getty Images hide caption

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Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Stress on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange.

Drew Angerer/Getty Images

This episode originally ran in 2015.

For an experiment, we decided to not just short one stock, but to short the entire U.S. stock market. We shorted America.

In part one, everyone said this was a terrible idea. But we did it anyway. In part two, we find out the results. And along the way, we learn the story of a Dutch man in the 17th century who made the very first short in history against one of the first companies ever.

Also, if you like economics and don't mind learning a mix of random and extremely useful things, subscribe to our weekly newsletter: npr.org/planetmoneynewsletter.

Music: "Long Summers", "Retro Lover", "Amber Lights."

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