Every year produces its share of unforgettable market moments, and 2025 delivered plenty of them. From suspicious trading patterns to billionaire predictions gone wrong, these were the stories that had everyone talking. Let's revisit what kept readers glued to their screens.
Suspicious Trading Before Trump's Tariff News
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) raised eyebrows when she demanded disclosure from Congress members after noticing something peculiar: Nasdaq call volume suddenly exploded minutes before President Donald Trump announced a tariff pause.
Spencer Hakimian, founder of Tolou Capital Management and Unusual Whales, shared data showing that call volumes for various contracts started spiking around 1:00 p.m. ET on April 9. Trump's announcement came 18 minutes later at 1:18 p.m. ET. Coincidence? That's what everyone wanted to know.
Howard Marks Sounds The Alarm
Howard Marks, co-founder and co-chairman of Oaktree Capital Management, has a track record worth paying attention to—he called the dot-com bubble 25 years ago. So when he issued a warning to investors in January, people listened.
In his paper titled "On Bubble Watch," Marks highlighted several red flags: excessive optimism permeating the market, relentless AI hype, dangerous concentration in the Magnificent Seven stocks, and an over-reliance on index investing. Whether you agreed with him or not, his concerns weren't easy to dismiss.
The Dogecoin Dream
Crypto analyst Crypto Kaleo made waves by predicting a mind-bending 2,600% surge for Dogecoin (DOGE), which would launch its market cap to a cool $1 trillion. The prediction wasn't pulled from thin air—Kaleo based it on mathematical analysis, comparing Dogecoin's performance in the previous cycle against Bitcoin (BTC) and projecting a similar pattern forward.
Would it happen? That's the eternal crypto question.
Peter Schiff's Nike Take
Economist Peter Schiff predicted that Nike Inc. (NKE) wouldn't shift production back to the U.S. despite facing newly imposed tariffs. His reasoning? The company would likely accept higher prices and reduced domestic sales rather than upend its supply chain. Schiff suggested Nike would simply redirect products to consumers in other countries willing to pay.
Musk's Challenge Backfires Spectacularly
Elon Musk confidently dared short-sellers to bet against Tesla Inc. (TSLA), predicting they'd get crushed once self-driving technology and Optimus robots gained traction.
That dare didn't age particularly well. Tesla shares have collapsed roughly 53% from their December peak, and those short-sellers Musk warned? They've pocketed a staggering $16.2 billion in profits over the last three months alone. Sometimes the market writes its own punchlines.
These stories remind us why markets remain endlessly fascinating—they're unpredictable, occasionally scandalous, and nobody gets it right all the time. Not even billionaires.