Shares in Maersk declined by more than 3% on Monday due to negative speculation brought about by rising fuel costs and the impact of the US-China trade war, according to Bloomberg.
The biggest shipping container line in the world, has seen its short positions increase to about 6%, the highest on record, compared with 0.8% in September, as hedge funds fear the effect tariffs from Washington and Beijing will have on transpacific trade.
Maersk, which has seen its shares drop by 20% this year alone, is not alone in experiencing financial difficulties.
Find out how Maersk is sxploring next-gen reefer operations in a Port Technology technical paper
Hapag-Lloyd, the fifth biggest container line in the world, admitted in July that it was going to cut costs in response to underwhelming profit forecasts that saw it lose almost $1.4 billion.
It also strenuously denied rumours of a potential merger with CMA-CGM, as the container shipping industry continues to struggle with external costs and overcapacity.