Meta, Oracle bosses sold billions in stocks before Trump's tariff crash

Mark Zuckerberg, Jamie Dimon, Safra Catz among top CEOs who sold billions in shares weeks before Trump's tariff move triggered a historic $6.6 trillion stock market wipeout

Several high-profile CEOs, including Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, JP Morgan Chase’s Jamie Dimon, and Oracle’s Safra Catz, sold large amounts of stock in the first quarter of the year—just before President Donald Trump’s announcement of sweeping tariffs caused global markets to nosedive.

 

A Bloomberg report showed that Zuckerberg offloaded around 1.1 million Meta shares, valued at $733 million, through the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative and its affiliated foundation. These transactions occurred in January and February, when Meta shares were still trading above $600. Since then, the stock has dropped by 32 per cent.

 

JP Morgan, Oracle chiefs also cashed out early

 

Jamie Dimon, the CEO of JP Morgan Chase, reportedly sold stock worth nearly $234 million during the same quarter. Dimon’s personal net worth stands at $3 billion, according to Bloomberg’s wealth index. 

 

 

Meanwhile, Oracle CEO Safra Catz sold 3.8 million shares, amounting to $705 million in value, before the company’s stock plummeted over 30 per cent, Times of India reported.

 

Bloomberg’s Billionaires Index estimates her net worth at $2.4 billion.

 

Additional major stock sales were also recorded: Washington Service data shows Palo Alto Networks Chairman and CEO Nikesh Arora sold over 2.3 million shares worth $432 million, and Palantir Technologies President Stephen Cohen sold over 4 million shares worth approximately $337 million, the Times of India report said. 

 

Market crash follows Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ tariff move

 

On April 2, dubbed “Liberation Day” by Donald Trump, the US President announced a broad set of new tariffs that shook investor confidence and triggered a global sell-off. The result was a historic two-day market collapse that wiped out more than $6.6 trillion in US stock market value.

 

The technology sector was hit particularly hard. Tesla’s stock decline alone contributed to a $129 billion reduction in Elon Musk’s net worth.