The $1 billion asset manager Austin Private Wealth, LLC, a financial planning firm in Texas purchased put options worth 12 million shares of Trump Media & Technological Group Corp (NASDAQ: DJT) a day before his assassination attempt. The short position by the asset management firm was taken on Friday, July 12, 2024, and was the largest among those listed.
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The second-biggest firm that took a short position on DJT was Citadel, taking put options of 1.677 million shares. Austin Private Wealth’s short position on DJT is more than seven times bigger than Citadel.
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Short Position a Day Before Trump’s Assassination Attempt: Suspicious?
There might be nothing suspicious about the short position on DJT as the market gets millions worth of it every day. It’s just another day in the office but the timing coincides with the assassination attempt. Trump’s media firm is a reasonable target for short attempts due to its weak performance in the markets.
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However, the put options caused losses to Austin Private Wealth as Trump’s media firm surged in the charts. After the assassination, DJT rose nearly 23% touching a weekly high of $37.38. DJT shares had closed at $30.89 on Friday’s closing bell but spiked in price from Monday onwards.
“Another interesting thing about the amendment filed on 7/16 is that it is the only one they have ever had. I searched and their first filing was on 2-12-2020,” said Josh Walkos, a researcher.
Trump is now officially the candidate to take on President Joe Biden in the polls in November 2024. The former President spoke at the Republican National Convention (RNC) today and the DJT stock could spike further. It’s attracting bullish sentiments and investors shorting it could face losses until election night.