Already the 4th Suspicious Transaction... 600 Billion Won Oil Price Bet Just Before Trump's Ceasefire Extension

U.S. President Donald Trump

It has been revealed that a large-scale bet on falling oil prices once again flooded the investment market just before U.S. President Donald Trump abruptly announced the extension of the ceasefire with Iran.

According to Reuters on the 22nd (local time), traders sold 4,260 Brent crude oil futures contracts just 15 minutes before President Trump announced the ceasefire extension on the 21st.

At the time, based on Brent futures prices, this amounted to 430 million dollars (630 billion won), a large directional bet aiming for a drop in oil prices.

Reuters noted that this bet was made during a period of extremely low trading volume after the settlement price (closing price), pointing to the possibility of a 'suspicious transaction'.

According to data from the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG), just before this bet, Brent crude oil futures fell slightly from $100.91 to $100.66 per barrel, then plummeted to $96.83 immediately after the ceasefire extension announcement.

This suggests that traders who bet on falling oil prices just before the ceasefire extension announcement likely made enormous profits.

Gasoline price sign at a gas station in Washington D.C.

This is the fourth suspicious transaction targeting rapid oil price changes since the start of the war with Iran, with three occurrences this month alone. According to Reuters, the total amount of bets this month reached $2.1 billion, and $500 million last month.

Previously, just 15 minutes before President Trump announced the postponement of an attack on Iran's power infrastructure on the 23rd of last month, traders bet $500 million on falling oil prices.

On the 7th of this month, just a few hours before President Trump announced a two-week ceasefire, $950 million in crude oil futures were sold.

On the 17th, approximately 20 minutes before Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi announced on X (formerly Twitter) that navigation through the Strait of Hormuz would be permitted, traders bet $760 million on falling oil prices.

As suspicious transactions repeatedly occur just before critical changes in the war situation are revealed through statements by President Trump and others, some are suspecting the possibility of insider information leaks.

Currently, the U.S. regulatory agency, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), is investigating a series of unusual oil futures trades, including those on the 23rd of last month and the 7th of this month.