Fact check: A trader opened a $34.3 million oil short position with 20x leverage on the day prior to the post.

Verdict: mostly true — Trust Score 65/100

The U.S.-Iran deal and subsequent oil price drop are confirmed by 11 sources including The Guardian, CBS News, and Reuters. While the trade and the geopolitical event are real, the post exaggerates the trader's profit by over $1 million and presents a contradictory timeline that undermines its 'insider trading' implication.

mostly true verification card — Trust Score 65/100
Platform
instagram
Source author
themarket.periodical — see all fact-checks of this account
Original post
https://www.instagram.com/p/DZoqMQ_ASG6/
Verified on
June 16, 2026
Verification ID
KpEWr1Il84obnXcjfnSoyA

Original content reviewed

Platform: INSTAGRAM Author: @themarket.periodical --- Caption/Description --- Someone opened a $34.3M oil short with 20x leverage yesterday. In less than 24 hours later, Trump announces a U.S.-Iran deal. Oil dumps below $80. The trader is now up nearly $1.8M.  Another day, another "coincidence."    Comment bellow your thoughts 🤔 Follow @themarket.periodical for more #crypto #trump #insidertrading #oil #short --- Carousel/Slides (2 items) --- Slide 1 (image): Text: www.themarketperiodical.com 45,23 33,25 11,24 22,41 55,32 41,32 23,41 66,44 12,54 32,14 11,87 45,17 24,67 15,24 47,21 -3.57% -2.13% -6.95% -4.78% -8.11% -7.26% -9.33% -4.22% -6.83% OIL The Market Periodical SOMEONE OPENED A $34.3M OIL SHORT WITH 20X LEVERAGE YESTERDAY. IN LESS THAN 24 HOURS LATER, TRUMP ANNOUNCES A U.S.-IRAN DEAL Slide 2 (image): Text: www.themarketperiodical.com Address: 0x9e8b1e51c642f4c8b87c6ba11c53d516a218afc4 Overview 5,188,403.38$ Spot (11): 4,586,283.64$ Lending: 0.00$ Vault: 0.00$ Staked: 602,113.73$ EVM (2): 6.0069$ Infos 0x9e8b1e51...a218afc4 ADD ALIAS Positions USDC xyz:CL-USD 34,299,891.84$ TRANSACTIONS HOLDINGS PERPS ORDERS VAULTS STAKING LENDING MORE Token Side Lev. Value Amount Entry BE Price PnL Funding Liq. xyz:CL SHORT 20X (isolated) 34,299,891.84$ -421.40K 83.11$ 83.03234$ 81.40$ 724,327.31$ -14,808.02$ 90.04$ www.themarketperiodical.com Published: 2026-06-16T05:37:51.000Z ---VERIFICATION_SUMMARY--- Platform: INSTAGRAM Author: @themarket.periodical --- Caption/Description --- Someone opened a $34.3M oil short with 20x leverage yesterday. In less than 24 hours later, Trump announces a U.S.-Iran deal. Oil dumps below $80. The trader is now up nearly $1.8M.  Another day, another "coincidence."    Comment bellow your thoughts 🤔 Follow @themarket.periodical for more #crypto #trump #insidertrading #oil #short --- Claims to Verify --- 1. A trader opened a $34.3 million oil short position with 20x leverage on the day prior to the post. 2. Donald

Claims analyzed (4)

  1. mixed: A trader opened a $34.3 million oil short position with 20x leverage on the day prior to the post.
    On-chain data from June 12-15, 2026, confirms that the address 0x9e8b1e51... opened and maintained large oil short positions on Hyperliquid. However, the 'yesterday' (June 15) timing is inconsistent with the post's claim that the trade occurred before the June 14 announcement.
  2. mostly true: Donald Trump announced a U.S.-Iran deal within 24 hours of the $34.3 million oil short being opened.
    President Trump announced a preliminary deal (MOU) with Iran on Sunday, June 14, 2026. Large short positions were reported as early as June 12, which fits the 'insider' narrative, though the post's 'yesterday' (June 15) claim would place the trade after the news.
  3. verified: Oil prices dropped below $80 per barrel following the announcement of a U.S.-Iran deal.
    Market data from June 15-16, 2026, confirms WTI crude fell below $80 (trading around $79.50) and Brent fell toward $82 as the market priced in the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
  4. misleading: The trader who opened the $34.3 million oil short is currently up nearly $1.8 million in profit.
    The post's own screenshot (Slide 2) shows a PnL of $724,327.51. The $1.8M figure in the caption appears to be a confusion with the position's margin/collateral ($34.3M / 20 = ~$1.7M) rather than actual profit.

Sources consulted (19)

Related verifications

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