by Coinstrooper Crypto Articles
Quick Take
  • On Monday, March 23, President Trump announced a 5-Day pause on strikes against Iranian energy infrastructure.
  • The decision added $1.7 trillion to US stocks, crashed oil prices by 15%, and sent Bitcoin above $70,000.
  • But Tehran called these claims ‘fake news’, and Israel already violated Trump’s pause.
  • Almost all of these financial gains vanished within a week.

What Happened

On Monday, March 23, President Trump announced a 5-Day pause on strikes against Iranian energy infrastructure. The decision added $1.7 trillion to US stocks, crashed oil prices by 15%, and sent Bitcoin above $70,000. That pause is now extended until April 6.

Instead of following through, Trump posted at 7 a.m. ET Monday, claiming “very good and productive conversations” with Tehran. He announced a 5-day postponement of all energy infrastructure strikes.

Markets moved before the announcement went live. Between 6:49 and 6:50 a.m. ET, roughly 6,200 Brent and WTI futures contracts changed hands with a notional value of $580 million.

U.S. and UK regulators are reportedly reviewing the data. No charges have been filed.

“The massive spike in volume of trades right before that post is certainly enough to raise eyebrows, and I think to launch an investigation into what was behind that,” wrote CBS News, citing Stephen Piepgrass, a partner who specializes in futures trading at the law firm Troutman Pepper Locke.

Monday was not the first time. BeInCrypto has tracked 11 market-moving Trump announcements since November 2024, each following what traders now call the TACO pattern, a cycle of action, crash, reversal, and recovery.

Liberation Day tariffs were announced on April 2, 2025, at 4:30 p.m. ET, after markets closed. Trump posted “BE COOL! THIS IS A GREAT TIME TO BUY!!” the next morning, minutes after opening. A 90-day pause followed, producing a 9.5% rally in the S&P 500.

Market Context

But Tehran called these claims ‘fake news’, and Israel already violated Trump’s pause. Almost all of these financial gains vanished within a week. So, did Donald Trump actually have productive talks with Iran, or was it just a ploy to benefit financial markets and have big players cash out?

How Trump’s Pause Lines Up With Market Hours

That deadline was set to expire Monday evening, with traditional markets fully open and exposed.

Equity markets are closed

Futures liquidity is thin

If escalation resumes, it lands in the same low-liquidity window that has preceded every major Trump-era market shock since mid-2025.

The average for that same minute over the prior five trading days was approximately 700 contracts, according to Bloomberg data reported by the Financial Times.

Tehran’s response left no ambiguity. Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf called it “fake news” intended to manipulate financial and oil markets.

The Foreign Ministry described it as psychological warfare aimed at lowering energy prices and buying time for more strikes. Officials acknowledged receiving messages through intermediaries but insisted no direct negotiations occurred.

Why It Matters

The sequence starts Saturday, March 22. Trump posted a 48-hour ultimatum on Truth Social demanding Iran reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face strikes on its power plants.

The 5-day window expired Saturday, March 28. Not a random day.

Details

Institutional desks are offline.

Someone Traded Before the Post

At the same time, $1.5 billion in S&P 500 futures were purchased. That single order pushed the index 0.3% higher instantly. Fourteen minutes later, Trump’s post dropped. By 7:10 a.m. ET, the S&P 500 had gained roughly $2 trillion in value.

Iran Says It Never Happened

The denial triggered an immediate reversal. Oil rebounded. Stocks gave back roughly half their gains. BTC pulled back after briefly reclaiming $70,000, leaving $265 million in crypto shorts liquidated within 15 minutes.

This Has Happened 11 Times Since November 2024