#国际油价下跌 Oil Prices, Plunge

Oil prices plummeted, raising suspicions of "insider trading" regarding the Middle East situation

Today, according to Xinhua News Agency, the British Financial Times reported on the 24th that 15 minutes before U.S. President Trump posted a message about U.S.-Iran dialogue on social media on the 23rd, the international crude oil market experienced an abnormal large transaction of approximately $580 million, sparking market speculation of "insider trading."

The report states that between 6:49 and 6:50 a.m. New York time on the 23rd, about 6,200 Brent crude and West Texas Intermediate crude oil futures contracts were exchanged. According to Bloomberg data estimates, these contracts had a nominal value of $580 million. As crude oil futures trading volume suddenly surged, the S&P 500 stock index instantly jumped, with trading volume also significantly increasing in tandem.

The report indicates that Trump then posted a message at 7:04 a.m. stating: "Over the past two days, the United States and Iran have had very good and productive discussions regarding a comprehensive and thorough resolution to our hostile actions in the Middle East." This news triggered a sharp sell-off in global energy markets. As investors reduced their bets on prolonged conflict, S&P 500 futures and European stock markets rose simultaneously.

The report suggests that such "timed perfectly" trades are "strikingly similar" to previous instances before U.S. attacks on Iran and developments in Venezuela. Several hedge funds stated that this is one of many recent cases where large pre-emptive trades occurred ahead of major U.S. announcements.

A trader from a major hedge fund was quoted as saying that energy consulting firms have recently noticed multiple large transactions with abnormal timing. Another investment manager said that a series of precisely timed large trades have caused "strong dissatisfaction" among investors.

Later on the evening of the 23rd, Iranian Parliament Speaker Kalibaf posted on social media, explicitly denying that any negotiations are taking place between the U.S. and Iran. This statement immediately caused global stock markets to retreat, while the energy market saw renewed buying.

Kalibaf stated that "the purpose of spreading false news is to manipulate financial and oil markets, so that the U.S. and Israel can escape the quagmire they are stuck in."