Traders place $760M bet on falling oil ahead of Hormuz announcement
reuters.com
April 18, 2026
2 min read
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
44/100
Summary
Investors placed a $760 million bet on falling oil prices shortly before Iran's foreign minister announced the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. Recent large trades have raised concerns among U.S. lawmakers and legal experts regarding potential advantages for traders due to geopolitical events.
Key Takeaways
- Investors placed a $760 million bet on falling oil prices just before Iran's foreign minister announced the Strait of Hormuz was open.
- The announcement caused crude prices to drop as much as 11% shortly thereafter.
- The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission is investigating significant oil futures trades made before major policy announcements related to the Iran conflict.
- In recent months, large trades have raised concerns among U.S. lawmakers about potential advantages gained from trading around geopolitical events.
