#国际油价下跌 Oil Prices Plummet

Oil Price Collapse Sparks Suspicion of "Insider Trading" in Middle East Tensions
Today, according to Xinhua News Agency, the British Financial Times reported on the 24th that approximately 15 minutes before U.S. President Trump posted a social media message about U.S.-Iran talks on the 23rd, the international crude oil market experienced an unusually large transaction worth about $580 million, prompting market speculation about "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 futures contracts were exchanged. According to Bloomberg data, these contracts had a notional value of $580 million. As crude oil futures trading volume suddenly surged, the S&P 500 index jumped instantly, with trading volume also increasing significantly.

The report notes that Trump later posted at 7:04 a.m. saying: "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 message triggered a sharp sell-off in global energy markets. As investors reduced their "bets" on prolonged conflict, S&P 500 futures and European stocks rose in tandem.

The report suggests that these "timing-precise" trades are "eerily similar" to previous cases before U.S. attacks on Iran and other events involving Venezuela. Several hedge funds indicated that this is one of many recent instances where large pre-emptive trades occurred ahead of major U.S. official announcements.

Citing a trader from a large hedge fund, the report states that energy consulting firms have recently observed multiple large transactions with abnormal timing. Another investment manager said that a series of precisely timed large trades has caused "strong dissatisfaction" among investors.

Later on the 23rd, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf posted on social media explicitly denying any negotiations between the U.S. and Iran. This statement immediately caused global stock markets to retreat, while energy markets saw renewed buying.

Ghalibaf stated that spreading "false news aims to manipulate financial and oil markets, thereby helping the U.S. and Israel escape the quagmire they are stuck in."