Investors have made huge bets just before US President Donald Trump’s announcements about the Iran war, raising concerns about insider trading.
A BBC analysis found a “consistent pattern” of trading spikes hours, or even minutes, before a White House public statement sent oil prices or the stock market up or down.
The Guardian similarly noted more than a dozen $100,000 bets on prediction markets foretelling the February air strikes on Iran, while The New York Times last month reported 150 bets of $1,000 or more predicting the start of the war.
Insider trading is illegal, but “there is a strong chance that no one will be prosecuted” because it is hard to prove, a legal scholar told the BBC.