Executives from some of America’s biggest companies sold off billions of dollars in shares right before Trump’s tariff announcement hit the markets. The trades happened during the first quarter of 2025, as tension built around the White House’s next economic move.

According to Bloomberg, names like Mark Zuckerberg, Safra Catz, and Jamie Dimon all dumped massive blocks of stock while prices were still high. By the time Trump rolled out new tariffs on April 2, tech stocks had already started bleeding. Every one of those early sellers dodged a bullet, and the timing is loud as hell.

Executives sold billions as Trump’s tariffs loomed

The first quarter wasn’t quiet. Trump’s team hinted at sweeping tariffs leading up to April 2, a day he branded as “Liberation Day.” That threat shook investors. By the time the announcement dropped, billions had already been erased from global markets. The tech world felt it the hardest. Elon Musk reportedly lost $129 billion this year as stocks tied to phones, chips, and software kept slipping. A few billionaires are already buying the dip, but plenty have already made their exit.

  • 1984
    815·
    4 days ago

    Doesnt sound too bad. All those guys have so much stock still invested that those sells must be like a few percent of their totals.

    We need to see how much they still own and the story would look very different.

    • Skua@kbin.earth
      34·
      4 days ago

      Don’t give insider trading a pass on the basis of the people doing it already being very rich. They’re specifically only in a position to do the insider trading because of how rich they are

      • veroxii@aussie.zone
        10·
        4 days ago

        I just skimmed the examples but they all seem to be done over multiple months, and under 10b5-1 plans which is specifically to say “I plan to sell X over the next y months”.

        It’s the verify definition of covering your ass to NOT be insider trading.

        Trump and the Republicans have talked about tariffs for months so nothing on this long a scale of selling over months is insider trading in my opinion.

        However show me the trades of people who bought and sold large amount within 24 hours of Trump flip flopping on suspending and unsuspending tariffs multiple times… THAT would be insider trading.

      • 1984
        22·
        4 days ago

        Of course. I think they do insider trading pretty much daily. The are having phone calls and meetings with eachother all the time, so of course its a big club.

        • queermunist she/her@lemmy.ml
          51·
          4 days ago

          Okay, but you said “doesn’t sound too bad”

          Insider trading sounds pretty bad, regardless of the fact that it is normal.

          • 1984
            1·
            4 days ago

            I guess. I just accept it as normal, thats how those guys stay rich and in power.