<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>A </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/donald-trump-iran-updates-oil-futures-trade-suspicious-betting-activity-usa-world-news/1061ef6b-5fef-401c-b469-98016ccdb9c3" rel="" target="" title="series of trades worth $800 million"><span>series of trades worth $800 million</span></a><span> made minutes before a </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/us-israel-attacks-iran-after-donald-trumps-48hour-deadline-iran-threatens-to-start-hitting-gulf-power-plants-and-mine-waters/d86936cf-ab6f-40ae-be34-efc1f0a60a98" rel="" target="" title="Truth Social post"><span>Truth Social post</span></a><span> from </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/donald-trump" rel="" target="" title="Donald Trump"><span>Donald Trump</span></a><span> sent markets swinging is an act of treason, one of America's most prominent economists has said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>An entity or several entities traded heavily on S&amp;P 500 and oil futures, making an immense sum of money in the process.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Nobel Laureate Paul Krugman lashed out at the mystery traders.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/donald-trump-pearl-harbor-japanese-prime-minister-sane-takaichi-usa-politics-news/3503f82c-91b9-466e-b287-0d8f09c74842"><strong><span>Trump compares Iran attack to Pearl Harbor in front of Japan's PM</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"When officers of a company or people close to them exploit confidential information for personal financial gain, that's insider trading — which is illegal," </span><a href="https://paulkrugman.substack.com/p/treason-in-the-futures-markets" rel="" target="" title="Krugman wrote"><span>Krugman wrote</span></a><span>.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"But we have another word for situations in which people with access to confidential information regarding national security — such as plans to bomb or not to bomb another country — exploit that information for profit. </span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"That word is 'treason'."</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/world/donald-trump-suspicious-futures-trades-treason-paul-krugman-corruption-chris-murphy/9bd90b2b-b13e-4cea-a0d3-250bc43ad3d5" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Krugman suggested the traders were either people who knew directly what Trump was going to say, or had been told by people in the know.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Are decisions about war and peace in part serving the cause of market manipulation rather than the national interest?" he wrote. </span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"If you dismiss this as unthinkable, you just haven't been paying attention."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/jd-vance-iran-petrol-prices-worse-overseas-gas-usa-politics-news/9bf2bac5-eb01-4f07-beeb-cbb79d7c1e94" rel="" target="" title=""><strong><span>The comments from Trump's right-hand man that should annoy every Aussie</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Democratic Senator Chris Murphy demanded to know who was making the trades.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Who was it? Trump? A family member? A White House staffer?" Murphy said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"This is corruption. Mind blowing corruption."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The Commodity Futures Trading Commission, which regulates futures trading, has not commented on the trade.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The Commission normally has five members, but currently only has one, a Trump appointee.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The White House dismissed any inference of wrongdoing.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"The White House does not tolerate any administration official illegally profiteering off of insider knowledge, and any implication that officials are engaged in such activity without evidence is baseless and irresponsible reporting," Kush Desai told FT.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/donald-trump-kharg-island-ground-troops-invasion-of-iran-usa-news/765b7562-cb23-436c-b7fa-b8a0acd616ff"><strong><span>Trump considering ground invasion of critical Iranian island: reports</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The future market trades are not the first time eyebrows have been raised at suspicious bets before a Trump decision.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Betting app Kalshi has refused to pay out $77 million in winnings to punters who bet </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/us-israel-strike-on-iran-supreme-leader-ayatollah-ali-khamenei/14563354-250d-40b4-8330-645799b4e899"><span>Ayatollah Ali Khamenei</span></a><span> would be out of office by March 1.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/us-israel-iran-war-look-at-who-holds-the-reins-of-power-since-top-leaders-killed/d6f20e94-8a21-4e53-9a57-876cd188306f"><span>Khamenei was killed by a US and Israeli bombing strike</span></a><span> hours before the deadline was reached.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Meanwhile on Polymarket, 150 accounts bet more than a million dollars that the US would strike Iran the next day.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>And in January, </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/nicolas-maduro-venezuela-usa-bet-polymarket/c60cad67-00c6-4e34-846d-b95053d7f832"><span>a Polymarket user made about $570,000</span></a><span> betting that </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/who-is-nicolas-maduro-from-bus-driver-to-venezuela-president-captured-by-us/5f70af86-f6ad-43f2-8254-6af8ba64fafb"><span>Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro</span></a><span> would be out of office before the end of the month.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>They had doubled down on their bet hours before the </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/venezuela-explosions-reported-in-capital-caracas/79b4f99d-181e-4fc5-8ddb-f5a48d197d22"><span>US seized the leader in a military strike</span></a><span>.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/donald-trump-iran-gift-oil-and-gas-middle-east-usa-politics-news/a8aa0c9b-666b-4323-92bf-af32bf6c7019" rel="" target="" title="Trump says Iran has sent an expensive 'gift' to US, but won't say what"><strong><span>Trump says Iran has sent an expensive 'gift' to US, but won't say what</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><em><span>NEVER MISS A STORY:</span></em></strong><span> </span><strong><em><span>Get your breaking news and exclusive stories first by following us across all platforms.</span></em></strong></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><ul><li><strong><em><span>Download the 9NEWS App here via</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="https://apps.apple.com/au/app/9news/id1010533727" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>Apple</span></em></strong></a><span> </span><strong><em><span>and</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nineNewsAlerts.nine.com&amp;hl=en_AU&amp;pli=1" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>Google Play</span></em></strong></a></li><li><strong><em><span>Make 9News your preferred source on Google by</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="https://9.nine.com.au/8x987w" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>ticking this box here</span></em></strong></a></li><li><strong><em><span>Sign up to</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="https://login.nine.com.au/edm?client_id=nineatnine" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>our breaking newsletter here</span></em></strong></a></li></ul></div></div>