Traders place $430 million bet on lower oil price before Trump ceasefire extension
Published on April 22, 2026.
Traders placed bets worth $430 million on a drop in crude prices just 15 minutes before U.S. President Donald Trump announced he would extend a ceasefire with Iran. This is the third time this month that large directional bets on the oil price have been made shortly before major announcements on the Iran war. The bets, which totalled $2.1 billion, were made between 1954 and 1956 GMT, with 4,260 lots of selling worth a combined $430m. The trades did not significantly impact the price of Brent crude futures. The U.K. is investigating a series of oil futures trades, including those on March 23 and April 7, which were placed shortly before significant policy shifts by Trump regarding Iran.
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