Insider-trading concerns push White House to warn against Iran bets

The White House reportedly warned staff in a March 24 email not to place bets on Iran-related events on prediction markets amid concerns about insider trading and the use of nonpublic information. The alert followed a spike in big trades around Trump’s announcements—more than $500 million in crude oil futures in about 15 minutes before a pause in Iran hostilities, and a later large bet on oil prices ahead of a two-week ceasefire. Senators Warren and Whitehouse urged the CFTC to investigate possible misappropriation of government information, and Rep. Torres is seeking an SEC/CFTC probe. The White House says federal employees are barred from trading on nonpublic information, and market operators have tightened their rules.