Tag: insider trading

Oil trader pockets reported $125 mn on suspiciously well-timed Iran bet – media

A massive crude oil bet placed shortly before reports of a possible US-Iran peace deal sent prices crashing and fueled suspicion of insider trading, after the position reportedly generated a $125 million profit in just over an hour.

According to market commentary platform the Kobeissi Letter, nearly 10,000 crude oil short contracts were placed around 3:40 AM (07:40 GMT) on Wednesday “without any major news,” describing the roughly $920 million position as unusually large for that time of day.

At 4:50 AM, Axios reported that Washington and Tehran were nearing an agreement to end the conflict and resume negotiations. Oil prices plunged more than 12% within two hours of the report, turning the short position into an estimated $125 million profit before the price later rebounded, the platform said.

During the US-Israeli war against Iran, prediction and traditional financial markets were flooded with suspiciously well-timed bets linked to airstrikes, ceasefire announcements, and diplomatic developments.

According to The Guardian, traders placed more than $1 billion in seemingly prescient wagers, including an $850,000 bet shortly before US strikes against Iran and around $950 million in oil futures hours before Trump announced a ceasefire in April. AP reported that the ceasefire announcement alone generated more than 413 million predictions and over $100 million in wagers across prediction markets within days.

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DOJ Investigating Suspicious Iran War Oil Trading Trend: Report

Ups and downs in the war with Iran may have been an opportunity for insiders betting on oil prices to make a killing, according to a new report.

The report from ABC News said the Department of Justice is taking a close look at several oil market trades that came just before critical moments in the war with Iran.

In four transactions under review, the Justice Department and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission are examining trades that netted more than $2.6 billion to individuals who bet oil prices would drop immediately before they did so.

From the start of the conflict on Feb. 28, the oil market has been up and down depending upon Iran’s strategy, America’s response, and expectations that oil might again flow freely.

The London Stock Exchange Group highlighted the trades, which began on March 23, when 15 minutes before President Donald Trump announced a delay on attacks against Iranian infrastructure, a $500 million bet was placed that oil prices would dip.

On April 7, only hours ahead of Trump’s announcement of a temporary halt in hostilities, a $960 million bet was placed that oil prices would fall.

On April 17, 20 minutes before Iran said the Strait of Hormuz would be opened, a $760 million bet was placed that oil prices were going to drop.

On April 21, 15 minutes before the ceasefire was extended, $430 million worth of bets was placed predicting oil prices were going down.

The Guardian noted last month that the conflict has been accompanied by unprecedented betting on events through online betting platforms, with many bets being precisely timed to events in the war.

For example, according to one complaint before the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, six so-called insiders reaped $1.2 million from betting when former Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei would be killed.

Reining this in through legislation is a complex task, if it can be done at all, one expert said.

“Is the problem that we don’t have legislation or that we don’t have enforcement capabilities?” Joshua Mitts, a law professor at Columbia University, said.

“To have a law that can’t really be enforced effectively given the technological limitations, it’s sort of putting the cart before the horse,” he said.

The oil price bets appear suspicious, another expert said.

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Rep. Anna Paulina Luna Demands Full Pardon for U.S. Special Forces Hero Prosecuted by DOJ for ‘Insider Trading’ on Maduro Raid – “Skewed Justice” While Congress Members Illegally Profit Every Single Day

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna is demanding a full pardon for a U.S. Special Forces soldier now facing decades in prison after allegedly profiting from classified information tied to the takedown of Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro.

The soldier, identified as Gannon Ken Van Dyke, was indicted by the Department of Justice on Thursday.

According to the DOJ, Van Dyke, an active-duty Army soldier stationed at Fort Bragg, participated in the planning and execution of a covert mission dubbed “Operation Absolute Resolve,” which resulted in the capture of Maduro earlier this year.

Prosecutors allege that Van Dyke used his access to classified intelligence to place wagers on the prediction platform Polymarket, ultimately netting approximately $409,000 in profits.

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Prediction Market Suspends and Fines Two Democrats and One GOP Candidate Over Insider Trading

These political candidates got caught red-handed.

Prediction market Kalshi announced in a press release that two Democrat candidates and one Republican candidate have been suspended and fined after engaging in insider trading on the platform.

According to the press release, the political candidates placed prediction trades on the outcomes of their own elections.

NBC News reported that Mark Moran, a Democrat running for a U.S. Senate seat in Virginia, Matt Klein, a Democrat running for Minnesota’s 2nd Congressional District, and Republican Ezekiel Enriquez, who previously ran in the Republican primary for Texas’ 21st Congressional District, have all been fined and suspended by Kalshi.

Per NBC News:

Prediction market Kalshi said Wednesday that it had fined and suspended three political candidates for trading on their own races during primary campaigns.

“Just like in traditional financial markets, bad actors will try to cheat,” Kalshi said in a statement. “These three cases are an example of how developing proactive engineering solutions can help identify illicit trading activity.”

Kalshi described the actions taken by the politicians as “political insider trading.”

The fines ranged from $539 to more than $6,200, while the suspensions from Kalshi are set to last five years.

The candidates include Matt Klein, who is running in the Democratic primary for Minnesota’s 2nd Congressional District; Ezekiel Enriquez, who ran in the Republican primary for Texas’ 21st Congressional District; and Mark Moran, who is running in the Democratic primary for a U.S. Senate seat in Virginia.

Previously, Kalshi did not fine or suspend candidates betting on their own campaigns, but after Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and Sen. John Curtis, R-Utah, introduced the “Prediction Markets are Gambling Act,” the company reversed course.

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Péter Magyar: The Insider Who Toppled Orbán – And the Uncomfortable Questions About His Past That Lingered in the Shadows

Today in the early hours, Budapest’s streets erupted in celebration. Fireworks lit the sky over the Danube as Péter Magyar, the 45-year-old leader of the Tisza Party, declared victory in Hungary’s parliamentary elections.

His centre-right opposition movement had just crushed Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz party, securing a stunning 53.6% of the vote and 138 seats in the 199-seat parliament – a supermajority that will let him rewrite the constitution, dismantle Orbán’s “illiberal democracy,” and unlock frozen EU funds. Orbán, the man who had ruled Hungary for 16 unbroken years, conceded defeat in a terse speech, calling the result “painful but clear.”

European leaders could barely contain their glee. Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, posted immediately: “Hungary has chosen Europe. Europe has always chosen Hungary. Together, we are stronger.

A country returns to its European path.” French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte were among those who phoned Magyar that night.

For Brussels, it was more than an election result – it was the end of a long nightmare. Orbán had blocked EU sanctions on Russia, vetoed aid to Ukraine, and turned Hungary into the bloc’s internal troublemaker. Now, von der Leyen and others hailed Magyar as the man who would “save Hungary” and bring it back into the European mainstream.

But as the champagne corks popped in Brussels and Budapest, a quieter question echoed in Hungarian pro-government circles and among some international observers: Why has so little been said – especially in Western media – about Péter Magyar’s own troubled past?

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White House Warns Staff Against Insider Trading Using Iran War Information

As recent geopolitical events shake financial markets, some traders are making risky bets to profit from the volatility.

In an email on March 24, the White House warned staff not to trade or place bets related to the U.S. war in Iran, including on prediction markets.

The warning aimed to prevent any misuse of confidential information, the White House told The Epoch Times.

“President [Donald] Trump has been crystal clear: while he seeks a strong and profitable stock market for everyone, members of Congress and other government officials should be prohibited from using nonpublic information for financial benefit,” Davis Ingle, White House spokesman, said in an email.

The warning was in line with government ethics guidelines that prohibit the use of nonpublic information for trading activity, he said.

Ingles added that “any implication that administration officials are engaged in such activity without evidence is baseless and irresponsible reporting.”

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Pelosi Loses It – Starts Chomping Her Dentures After Trump Calls Her Out for Insider Trading

Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi was caught on camera playing with her dentures on Tuesday after President Trump called her out for insider trading during his SOTU Address.

President Trump roasted Democrats during his State of the Union Address for standing up against insider trading.

Trump called out crooked Nancy Pelosi: “Did Nancy Pelosi stand up for this?

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Nancy Pelosi’s Stock Market Return Rate During Her Time in Congress is INSANE

Nancy Pelosi is finally retiring from congress and she is doing so as an extremely wealthy woman.

During her 40 years in congress, her stock market return rate was 16,930 percent. Read that again. 16,930%

That is beyond stunning. People can spend their entire career working on Wall Street and not get that kind of return. It’s just the sort of thing that has spurred rumors of insider trading, and/or taking advantage of information gleaned by working in congress.

Pelosi is now worth over $280 million dollars. Not a bad haul for a public servant.

FOX News reports:

Pelosi earned more than $130 million in stock profits, return of 16,930%, during time in Congress: report

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and husband Paul Pelosi have raked in more than $130 million in stock profits over the course of her congressional career, a report said.

That’s a return of 16,930% over nearly four decades representing California, according to the New York Post.

The figure comes as Pelosi, 85, announced this week she will not be seeking re-election after completing her current term in 2027…

Before entering office in 1987, Pelosi and her husband reported between $610,000 and $785,000 in stocks in their portfolio, the Post said, citing a financial disclosure form.

Those stocks reportedly included Citibank and companies that are no longer publicly traded.

Over time, that portfolio has soared in value to $133.7 million today, the Post reported, citing estimates from Quiver Quantitative.

The newspaper said the profit of 16,930% exceeds the 2,300% that the Dow Jones had during the same time period.

Pelosi’s talents for investing are really unmatched, aren’t they?

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Why Politicians Always Get Richer in Office (and You Don’t)

Think about your last job. Ever gotten a secret tip about the company’s next big merger right before the public announcement? Yeah, didn’t think so. For the rest of us, acting on that would land us in hot water – maybe even jail time. But inside the marble corridors and hushed committee rooms? Different story altogether.

They call it “congressional stock trading,” which sounds very official and boring. What it really means is politicians legally using information they learn because of their jobs – stuff you and I aren’t privy to – to buy or sell stocks. Government earmarks billions for a new defense project boosting a specific drone manufacturer? Funny how certain portfolios suddenly get heavier. Massive legislation passes changing healthcare subsidies? Watch how health insurance stocks move right after the vote.

It’s not telepathy. It’s not “expert analysis.” It’s being on the inside track while everyone watches the race from the nosebleeds. They write their own rules about disclosures, enforce them weakly against themselves, and pat themselves on the back for “transparency” that resembles fogged-up glass.

The Golden Parachute Club

You leave your job, you get maybe a handshake or a parting gift. Their journey is different. The moment someone announces they aren’t running again or loses an election, something fascinating happens: headhunters scramble. Suddenly, that junior Senator with average name recognition lands a seven-figure advisory role at a defense contractor. That obscure committee chair suddenly becomes a “consultant” for the very industry they supposedly regulated.

This is the “revolving door.” It spins both ways. Industry insiders walk into key government jobs to “oversee” their former colleagues. Then, politicians glide effortlessly back out into lucrative “consulting” gigs, “think tank” positions, or board seats for companies that directly benefited from legislation they championed. The currency here isn’t expertise you can find on LinkedIn; it’s relationships, favors owed, and the warm, cozy feeling they generate in corporate boardrooms. They call it “private sector experience.” We see pawns completing their mission and collecting their rewards.

Political Chameleons and Real Estate Magic

Ever tried buying property in a booming market? It’s expensive, cutthroat. Now imagine getting insider knowledge about a planned government development – a new highway extension, a federal complex, a mass transit hub destined for a forgotten corner of your district. Information like that is pure gold dust.

It’s not uncommon to see lawmakers snapping up parcels of land or properties just before major, undisclosed public projects become known. The value explodes. Sudden windfalls from “smart investments.” They disclose the gain eventually, but the how and the why? Buried under layers of complex paperwork and shrugs. Did they foresee the future? Or did they peek behind the curtain? The coincidence meter pings off the charts more often than it has any right to.

It goes beyond dirt. Think zoning changes voted on by local officials who own large chunks of real estate nearby. Think obscure amendments slipped into massive bills that funnel taxpayer dollars towards building projects conveniently adjacent to land held by those well-connected individuals. Follow the geography. The map tells its own story.

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Burchett chides colleagues over insider trading: ‘Crooked as a dog‘s leg’

Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) has slammed his colleagues in Congress who engage in insider trading, saying they should be “on Wall Street” instead of on Capitol Hill.

“Americans understand what’s going on with Congress,” Burchett said Sunday on the “Cats Roundtable” radio show hosted by John Catsimatidis on WABC 770 AM. “When they see their members of Congress making three, four, 500 percent returns, dadgum it, they ought not be in Congress, they ought to be on Wall Street.”

Burchett called it wrong and said “everybody knows it, and I think it’s crooked as a dog’s leg, and we need to outlaw it.”

On Sept. 3, a bipartisan group of legislators introduced a bill that would ban stock trading by members of Congress and their close family members.

The “Restore Trust in Congress Act” mixes together several past proposals intended to stop members of Congress from trading stocks.

Should the bill pass, lawmakers who violate the law would face financial penalties equal to 10 percent of the value of their investment and would be forced to relinquish any earnings from the violation.

“If you want a day trade, leave Congress,” Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), one of the bill’s co-sponsors, previously said. “It’s that simple.”

“We’re not going to judge what you did before now, but now that this bill is going to come to the floor — and we’re going to make sure of that — it’s your chance to get right with the American people because at the end of the day, Congress is not a casino,” Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.) also said.

In August, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent called for a ban on members of Congress trading individual stocks. Bessent specifically named former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and said they have “eye-popping returns.”

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