US EditionTraders bet $500 million on oil price just before Trump's post on delay to Iran attack
About $580 million in Brent and West Texas Intermediate crude futures were traded minutes before Trump announced a delay in strikes on Iranian energy, sparking market volatility.
- On Monday, March 24, 2026, unknown accounts sold 6,200 Brent and WTI oil futures contracts worth $580 million just 15 minutes before President Donald Trump announced "productive conversations" with Iran.
- President Trump had spent the weekend threatening to "obliterate" Iranian power plants if the Strait of Hormuz remained closed, creating market sensitivity before his sudden Monday policy reversal.
- Financial Times analysis using Bloomberg data confirmed the $580 million trade surge at 6:49 a.m., while S&P 500 futures simultaneously recorded sharp volume spikes before Trump's Truth Social post.
- Senator Chris Murphy accused the administration of "mind blowing corruption" over the trades, while White House spokesperson Kush Desai called allegations "baseless and irresponsible."
- Lawmakers including Murphy are pushing legislation to ban prediction markets on government actions, while the CFTC increases market manipulation scrutiny amid national mourning of former FBI Director Robert Mueller.
97 Articles
97 Articles
Shortly before a sharp drop in the oil price caused by Donald Trump announcing negotiations with Iran, between $580 and $650 million have passed through the oil markets, around six...
Insider Trading Takes Washington
Between 6:49 a.m. and 6:50 a.m. on Monday, somebody—or several somebodies—bought 6,200 oil futures contracts with a notional value of $580 million. Twenty-four minutes later, at 7:04 a.m., President Donald Trump took to Truth Social to announce that the administration was holding off on bombing Iran’s oil fields, and was instead in the process of negotiating a deal.The effect of this on the markets was exactly what you’d expect. Stocks soared, w…
An unusual peak of activity was recorded Monday morning in the oil market just before an announcement by US President Donald Trump on Iran.
Traders bet hundreds of millions of dollars on oil contracts just minutes before US President Donald Trump announced on Monday that the US would delay attacks on Iranian energy infrastructure. Market data reviewed by the BBC shows that trading volume increased about fifteen minutes before a social media post by the president announcing the move. The price of oil fell sharply after the announcement, falling by 14% within minutes. Traders who bet …
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