Trump recently had what can only be described as one of his classic outbursts, proclaiming he’d slap a whopping 100% tariff on Chinese goods.
Wall Street instantly went into meltdown, and the cryptocurrency universe suffered what can only be called a “crypto disaster.” Bitcoin nosedived by 13% in just 24 hours, breaking through the $110,000 floor and wiping out a jaw-dropping $19 billion in positions. The carnage left countless investors licking their wounds—heard from every corner.
But as Trump dialed back the rhetoric, Bitcoin bounced right back. Volatility is nothing new in these markets, but this time, something was off. Mere moments before Trump’s shock tariff announcement, two accounts began dumping massive short positions on Bitcoin—and even doubled down at the last second. After the crash, those mysterious traders walked away with $160 million (about HK$1.25 billion).
The timing was scary-perfect, raising the obvious suspicion: Did they know what was coming? Naturally, eyes turned toward Trump’s family and inner circle—the usual suspects in any “insider trading” drama.
Trump drops a bombshell on China, Bitcoin crashes—somebody made a killing. Insider trading suspicions swirl.
Family Business or Financial Roulette
So what’s the truth here? That’s up to future evidence, but let’s face it: The Trump family has a rich history of benefitting from the “King’s” moves on the market. Whether this round’s mysterious short-seller is connected—well, everyone’s got theories.
The precision of this massive crypto short—timed right as Trump launched his tariff attack on China—reeks of “insider trading.”
A half-hour before Trump’s 100% tariff announcement, a shadowy account started stacking huge shorts on the decentralized exchange Hyperliquid. The final bet? Placed exactly one minute before Trump’s public bombshell. That kind of play only makes sense if you’ve got live updates from the source—insiders who knew a crash was about to hit.
We all know what happened next—Bitcoin plummeted, smashing past $110,000 to a low of $105,900, a full 20% nosedive from its earlier $126,000 high. Ethereum got wrecked too, sinking to $3,380—down more than 20%. The whole market was an avalanche, catching 1.6 million investors totally off guard. Meanwhile, someone out there was celebrating. That shadowy account made off with a cool $160 million, over HK$1.25 billion, in just 24 hours. The biggest winner in this bloodbath.
Who could have predicted the carnage? To many, it looked almost like a psychic move—the mysterious trader knew exactly when Bitcoin would collapse. No wonder speculation kicked off: The people most likely to know about Trump’s sudden plans are none other than his family and top insiders. Their tentacles reach deep into crypto, so imagining these accounts are tied to them doesn’t sound crazy at all.
Trump’s family holds sway in crypto—was the market crash and rebound just another day in their playbook?
Old Habits Die Hard
Let’s not pretend this is groundless. Trump and family have a record for scooping up “policy news” windfalls.
Back in April, before Trump announced a pause on reciprocal tariffs, US stock volumes mysteriously surged—clearly, someone was buying big. After the news, the market soared, and the early birds made billions.
There were plenty of whispers then that Trump’s family, friends, and confidants may have known the plan before it went public. Proof is always tough, but Trump himself slipped up—at a White House sit-down with his financial buddy Charles Schwab, he openly said his “old friend” had pocketed $2.5 billion that day. Sure smells like privileged tips were flying and someone loaded up ahead of time.
In recent years, the Trump family has gone extra-hard on crypto investments. Last year, they set up “World Liberty Financial” (WLF), raising funds specifically to play the market. The patriarch himself has made a habit of pushing out policies to pump up cryptocurrencies, keeping everything tightly aligned with the family business. Surprise, surprise—their companies’ profits keep surging, and their pockets get fatter every single time.
This time was textbook. Trump threw out his hard tariff talk, smashed Bitcoin, then pivoted and talked nice, letting the price rebound above $110,000 while Ethereum got a 2% lift. Crash, rebound, and those “in the know” raked it in—again, and again. Record profits from every swing.
Are Trump’s family and friends behind it? Maybe we’ll never get all the answers, but for anyone watching closely, America’s “money politics” is looking uglier than ever.
What Say You?
** The blog article is the sole responsibility of the author and does not represent the position of our company. **
London just dropped a classic good news, bad news bombshell on Hong Kong BNO holders.
The headline grabber? The path to permanent residency remains a five-year trek—the so-called "5+1" deal is safe. But here is the kicker: to actually cross the finish line, applicants must now survive a gauntlet of "extra spicy" new conditions. We are talking tougher English tests, strict income floors, and proof of continuous tax payments.
Think of it as a mouthful of sugar followed by a shot of hot chili. The anxiety on the ground is palpable. The South China Morning Post cites a survey warning that nearly 30 percent of these migrants do not meet the new bar. Unless London blinks, thousands will be screened out at the doorstep, leaving them empty-handed after five wasted years. Agitated Hong Kong people in UK are scrambling with petitions, but make no mistake: for the British government, utility is the only metric that matters.
Survey Warning: 30% of Hong Kong BNO holders fall short of London's new "permanent residence" rules and face being screened out at the finish line.
Here is the bait-and-switch: getting the visa was easy, but staying is going to cost you. Previously, income checks were nonexistent. Now, the rules have tightened: you need a fixed job, a tax record, and an annual haul of at least £12,570 (HK$128,000) for three to five years. That might sound low, but for many Hong Kong BNO holders, it is a high wall to climb. Not everyone is punching the clock in a full-time gig.
The SCMP-cited survey breaks it down. Of the 690 interviewed: 19 percent are housewives, 8 percent are retirees, and 3 percent are students. That is 30 percent of the total population right there. No job, no income, no tax record. If the Home Office sticks to the letter of the law, this entire group is going to fail the assessment cold.
Even the working class is standing on shaky ground. The data shows that only 42 percent of respondents have full-time jobs, while another 20 percent are scraping by with part-time work. Do the math: stable, salaried Hong Kong BNO holders are not the majority. Many are hustling in "casual work," where income fluctuates wildly and often falls short of the new government mandates.
Speak to anyone on the ground, and they will tell you the housewife trap is real. Families move over with young kids, find they can’t hire help, and suddenly the mother is housebound. It is a forced choice. Even if they pick up part-time shifts to help make ends meet, those meager earnings inevitably miss the strict income targets London has set.
The Wealth Illusion
Then there are the cash-rich, income-poor migrants. These are the folks who sold their Hong Kong properties at the peak, sitting on millions of dollars to fund a quiet life in the UK. Some are retired; others just don’t need to work. They are slowly "pinching" their savings to get by. But under these new rules, their wealth is irrelevant. No employment income means no tax record. And no tax record means they are not getting past the gatekeepers.
Smart professionals are also about to get caught in their own loop. I know of Hong Kong BNO holders who aren't unemployed—they are just working "on the sly," taking remote gigs from Hong Kong to dodge UK taxes. It used to be a clever way to save a buck. Now, it is a liability. Without a UK tax footprint or local employment record, they have technically earned nothing in the eyes of the Home Office. When application time comes, they are going to face big trouble.
The education gap is another ticking time bomb. The survey reveals that 16 percent of respondents only have a secondary education. Let’s be realistic: hitting the B2 English level—roughly A-Level standard—is a pipe dream for this demographic. This single hurdle is going to cull a significant herd of applicants before they even get started.
The Language Barrier: With 16% of surveyed migrants holding only secondary education, the "B2 barrier" for English proficiency is set to trigger a wave of failures.
Panic is setting in as families realize they might be kicked out at the last minute. Distressed and confused, Hong Kong BNO holders are mobilizing. A petition demanding the government lower the bar—keeping the easier B1 English requirement and scrapping the income test—has already gathered 28,000 signatures. They are even planning a protest march for December 6.
Utility Over Humanity
London, sensing the rising heat, offered a vague olive branch yesterday. Officials claim the consultation is not yet finalized and teased a potential transitional arrangement. But do not hold your breath—nobody bothered to explain what that transition actually looks like.
Let’s call this what it is: habitual duplicity. When the chips are down, the British government puts utility first. A sharp analysis in Singapore’s Lianhe Zaobao hit the nail on the head: by piling on these conditions, London is downgrading the BNO route from a special humanitarian channel to a high-threshold, ordinary immigration path. It has morphed into a policy demanding economic tribute, not a sanctuary.
The writing is on the wall. Don't expect them to lower the bar for permanent residence. Smart Hong Kong people should know better than to have high expectations.
Lai Ting-yiu
