Trump bought shares worth billions in 90 days – but no one knows why

US President Donald Trump and his advisers are said to have carried out more than 3,700 stock trades in the first quarter of this year, involving major companies such as Nvidia, Microsoft, Amazon and Boeing, according to disclosures that have triggered scrutiny in Washington.

New York: New financial disclosures have revealed that US President Donald Trump and his advisers were active in stock markets during the first three months of the year, carrying out more than 3,700 trades. The scale of activity has surprised market watchers and has also raised questions about conflicts of interest associated with the US presidency.

Heavy trading was recorded, according to Bloomberg, across some of America’s largest companies in technology, finance, aerospace and media.

Market experts have described the volume of trading as unusually high for someone in such a position. One analyst, Matthew Tuttle, told Bloomberg that the activity resembles trading patterns seen in large algorithm-driven hedge funds due to its scale and frequency.

Big tech and industrial names in the portfolio

The disclosures show that Trump invested in several major companies during the quarter, including Nvidia, Oracle, Microsoft, Boeing and Costco. Each of these positions, as per reports, involved at least $1 million in shares.

Additional filings point to transactions involving Amazon, Meta, Uber, eBay, Abbott Laboratories, AT&T and Dollar Tree. One of the largest disclosed moves came on February 10, when holdings in Microsoft, Meta and Amazon were sold in a range between $5 million and $25 million.

The filings also mention investments in media and entertainment firms such as Netflix, Warner Bros Discovery and Paramount Global. This indicates exposure to multiple sectors tied to both technology and content industries.

Concerns over possible conflicts of interest

Many of the companies involved operate in sectors closely connected to US government policy decisions. For instance, Nvidia depends on export approvals for advanced AI chips to China. Boeing relies heavily on defence and aerospace contracts tied to federal spending.

Meanwhile, companies such as Microsoft, Amazon and Meta are regularly involved in regulatory debates around artificial intelligence, competition law and federal oversight.

Critics argue that even if no laws were broken, the scale of trading activity raises concerns about conflicts of interest. They point out that unlike previous US presidents, Trump has not fully divested from his business interests or placed them in a traditional blind trust structure managed independently of family control.

According to Bloomberg, Trump’s business network still operates in sectors influenced by government policy decisions, while members of his family continue to play a major role in managing parts of the Trump Organisation.

Market reactions and concerns

The latest disclosures come months after unusual activity was observed in oil and stock futures markets. At the time, some traders made large bets on falling oil prices and rising US equities shortly before public comments from Trump about progress in talks involving Iran.

Soon after those comments, oil prices dropped while stock markets moved higher. It led to speculation online about possible links between political statements and market behaviour. However, no public evidence has been presented connecting Trump directly to those trades.

Still, the timing of these movements has kept debates alive about how sensitive political developments can influence financial markets and whether better safeguards are needed to manage potential overlaps between political power and financial activity.

As scrutiny continues, the disclosures have added another layer to ongoing debates in Washington over transparency, trading activity and ethical boundaries for those in public office.