First they were on – now they’re off, and Donald Trump’s tariff ‘pause’ has triggered ‘insider trading’ fears.
Trump imposed what many consider to have been crippling tariffs on goods imported into the United States earlier in the week, triggering a collapse of prices on international stock exchanges.
Then on April 9, this happened:
Maybe he was simply suggesting that, with stock prices low, this was a great time to invest. But the announcement later in the day, coupled with the result that stocks rallied and some investors made billions of dollars, casts suspicion on such a story.
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There’s also the fact that Trump and his spokespeople have been saying that this was their plan all along. Their claim is that they wanted to nudge other countries into contacting the States in the hope of arranging better trade deals.
So now the tariffs are suspended for 90 days while talks take place, and the current line is that if they are restored, they will be at 10 per cent for everybody except China – on which Trump has raised his tariffs to an eye-watering 125 per cent. He really doesn’t like China!
Other observers have been more sceptical. Consider these comments on Trump’s behaviour:
Advance notice of the kind suggested by Craig Murray amounts to insider trading – where people with advance knowledge of changes that will affect the prices of stocks and shares then use that knowledge to make a profit for themselves. This is illegal.
But just think about what happened: the S&P 500 stock exchange experienced a 9.5 per cent surge after the tariff pause announcement, and this sharp market movement reportedly resulted in substantial financial gains for some investors.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average and Nasdaq Composite also saw significant increases.
So the notion that individuals with prior knowledge of these policy changes could have exploited the stock and currency markets is a valid concern.
Such actions, if they occurred, would undermine market integrity and erode public trust in financial systems.
Investigating these claims is crucial to ensure transparency and accountability in economic policymaking.
This would involve examining trading patterns around the time of the announcements, identifying beneficiaries of the market movements, and assessing any correlations with individuals who had access to non-public information.
Democratic Senator Adam Schiff called on Congress to investigate whether President Trump engaged in insider trading or market manipulation related to the tariff pause.
But concrete evidence of insider trading has not been publicly disclosed.
This Site cannot carry out such an investigation. It would require resources that I simply do not have.
But I will monitor the situation in the hope that somebody, who does have that ability, uses it.
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Trump’s tariff ‘pause’ has triggered ‘insider trading’ fears
First they were on – now they’re off, and Donald Trump’s tariff ‘pause’ has triggered ‘insider trading’ fears.
Trump imposed what many consider to have been crippling tariffs on goods imported into the United States earlier in the week, triggering a collapse of prices on international stock exchanges.
Then on April 9, this happened:
Maybe he was simply suggesting that, with stock prices low, this was a great time to invest. But the announcement later in the day, coupled with the result that stocks rallied and some investors made billions of dollars, casts suspicion on such a story.
Buy Cruel Britannia in print here. Buy the Cruel Britannia ebook here. Or just click on the image!
There’s also the fact that Trump and his spokespeople have been saying that this was their plan all along. Their claim is that they wanted to nudge other countries into contacting the States in the hope of arranging better trade deals.
So now the tariffs are suspended for 90 days while talks take place, and the current line is that if they are restored, they will be at 10 per cent for everybody except China – on which Trump has raised his tariffs to an eye-watering 125 per cent. He really doesn’t like China!
Other observers have been more sceptical. Consider these comments on Trump’s behaviour:
Advance notice of the kind suggested by Craig Murray amounts to insider trading – where people with advance knowledge of changes that will affect the prices of stocks and shares then use that knowledge to make a profit for themselves. This is illegal.
But just think about what happened: the S&P 500 stock exchange experienced a 9.5 per cent surge after the tariff pause announcement, and this sharp market movement reportedly resulted in substantial financial gains for some investors.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average and Nasdaq Composite also saw significant increases.
So the notion that individuals with prior knowledge of these policy changes could have exploited the stock and currency markets is a valid concern.
Such actions, if they occurred, would undermine market integrity and erode public trust in financial systems.
Investigating these claims is crucial to ensure transparency and accountability in economic policymaking.
This would involve examining trading patterns around the time of the announcements, identifying beneficiaries of the market movements, and assessing any correlations with individuals who had access to non-public information.
Democratic Senator Adam Schiff called on Congress to investigate whether President Trump engaged in insider trading or market manipulation related to the tariff pause.
But concrete evidence of insider trading has not been publicly disclosed.
This Site cannot carry out such an investigation. It would require resources that I simply do not have.
But I will monitor the situation in the hope that somebody, who does have that ability, uses it.
Vox Political needs your help!
If you want to support this site
(but don’t want to give your money to advertisers)
you can make a one-off donation here:
Be among the first to know what’s going on! Here are the ways to manage it:
1) Register with us by clicking on ‘Subscribe’ (bottom right of the home page). You can then receive notifications of every new article that is posted here.
2) Follow VP on Twitter @VoxPolitical
3) Like the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/VoxPolitical/
Join the Vox Political Facebook page.
4) You could even make Vox Political your homepage at http://voxpoliticalonline.com
5) Follow Vox Political writer Mike Sivier on BlueSky
6) Join the MeWe page at https://mewe.com/p-front/voxpolitical
7) Feel free to comment!
And do share with your family and friends – so they don’t miss out!
If you have appreciated this article, don’t forget to share it using the buttons at the bottom of this page. Politics is about everybody – so let’s try to get everybody involved!
Buy Vox Political books so we can continue
fighting for the facts.
Cruel Britannia is available
in either print or eBook format here:
The Livingstone Presumption is available
in either print or eBook format here:
Health Warning: Government! is now available
in either print or eBook format here:
The first collection, Strong Words and Hard Times,
is still available in either print or eBook format here:
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