Mysterious funds, known for appearing at critical moments, have emerged once again. In the global oil futures market, suspected insider trading has resurfaced. Reports indicate that a mysterious trader accurately placed short positions worth $760 million just before a significant plunge in crude oil prices on the 17th, generating profits of nearly $70 million within an hour.

Similar incidents have occurred multiple times since the outbreak of the Iran conflict. Previously, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission was investigating a series of suspected insider trading cases in oil futures that were timed with precision, occurring just before U.S. President Trump announced major policy shifts related to the Iran war.

According to a recent interview with Nobel Prize-winning economist Heckman, U.S. policies have become highly unpredictable, leading many nations to avoid engaging with the country. Countries worldwide are now adjusting their trade patterns and seeking ways to bypass tariffs when trading with the United States.

The mysterious short selling of oil occurred when, approximately 20 minutes before Iran's Foreign Minister announced the full reopening of the Strait of Hormuz to all commercial vessels on the 17th, an investor placed bearish bets on oil worth about $760 million. Subsequently, both WTI crude futures and Brent crude futures plummeted by over 13% during the session, closing with losses exceeding 7%. This marks the third similar occurrence in recent months where heavy short positions were established in crude oil just before major policy announcements.

Data from the London Stock Exchange Group shows that between 12:24 and 12:25 GMT on the 17th, investors sold 7,990 lots of Brent crude futures. At prevailing prices, these transactions were valued at approximately $760 million.

At 12:45 GMT on the 17th, Iran's Foreign Minister posted on platform X that, under the Lebanon ceasefire agreement, passage through the Strait of Hormuz would be declared fully open to all commercial vessels for the remainder of the ceasefire period. This announcement triggered a sharp decline in crude oil prices within minutes, with WTI futures briefly falling below the $80 per barrel threshold.

The Kobeissi Letter estimated that the short positions yielded profits of $70 million in under an hour. The exact profitability of these trades depends on whether the short positions were quickly closed, given that oil prices recovered some losses by the end of the trading day.

The Financial Times noted that these transactions bear striking resemblance to previous cases that occurred before U.S. military actions against Iran and developments involving Venezuela.

Several hedge funds indicated that this is one of many instances in recent months where large trades were executed just before major U.S. government announcements. A trader from a major hedge fund stated that energy consulting firms had recently observed multiple unusually timed large transactions. Another investment manager mentioned that a series of precisely timed large trades have sparked significant dissatisfaction among investors.

Two similar trades have previously been identified: on April 7, approximately $950 million in crude oil short positions were placed hours before the U.S. and Iran announced a two-week ceasefire agreement; on March 23, investors sold $500 million in crude futures in the 15 minutes preceding Trump's announcement that he would delay strikes on Iranian energy infrastructure, which subsequently caused a 15% drop in oil prices.

According to an April 15 U.S. report, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission is investigating a series of suspected insider trading cases in oil futures characterized by precise timing. Anonymous sources revealed that the investigation focuses on oil futures contracts traded on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and the Intercontinental Exchange. Investigators are currently reviewing at least two transactions that occurred on March 23 and April 7, requesting identity information of trading accounts from both exchanges.

U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren, a member of the Senate Banking Committee, stated in a release that these suspicious oil futures trades appear to be cases of insider market manipulation, urging regulators to intensify investigations into potential insider trading by Trump administration officials.

Commodity Futures Trading Commission Chairman Michael Selig emphasized that anyone engaging in fraud, manipulation, or insider trading in the markets will face legal consequences.