At 9.50pm AEDT yesterday, there was a sudden spike in trading on the oil and S&P 500 futures market.

6.50am New York time is an unusual time for a rush on trades on West Texas Intermediate May futures.

But it showed that all of a sudden, a substantial sum of money was bet on oil prices dropping and the stock market rising.

READ MORE: Single Trump post sends oil prices tumbling

In the space of a minute, more than $800 million in trades was made on oil futures.

Then a few minutes later, US President Donald Trump made a Truth Social post.

"I am pleased to report that the United States of America, and the country of Iran, have had, over the last two days, very good and productive conversations regarding a complete and total resolution of our hostilities in the Middle East," Trump wrote.

"Based on the tenor and tone of these in depth, detailed, and constructive conversations, witch (sic) will continue throughout the week, I have instructed the Department of War to postpone any and all military strikes against Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure for a five day period, subject to the success of the ongoing meetings and discussions."

The S&P 500 futures market surged and crude oil prices dropped through the floor.

And whoever made those trades made an incredible amount of money.

A White House spokesperson brushed off the suspicious activity.

READ MORE: Trump considering ground invasion of critical Iranian island: reports

"The White House does not tolerate any administration official illegally profiteering off of insider knowledge, and any implication that officials are engaged in such activity without evidence is baseless and irresponsible reporting," Kush Desai told FT.

Hours later, top Iranian politician Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf denied the president's claim.

"No negotiations have been held with the US, and fake news is used to manipulate the financial and oil markets and escape the quagmire in which the US and Israel are trapped," he said.

"Iranian people demand complete and remorseful punishment of the aggressors.

"All Iranian officials stand firmly behind their supreme leader and people until this goal is achieved."

READ MORE: Trump compares Iran attack to Pearl Harbor in front of Japan's PM

Today's future market trades are not the first time eyebrows have been raised at suspicious bets before a Trump decision.

Betting app Kalshi has refused to pay out $77 million in winnings to punters who bet Ayatollah Ali Khamenei would be out of office by March 1.

Khamenei was killed by a US and Israeli bombing strike hours before the deadline was reached.

Meanwhile on Polymarket, 150 accounts bet more than a million dollars that the US would strike Iran the next day.

And in January, a Polymarket user made about $570,000 betting that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro would be out of office before the end of the month.

They had doubled down on their bet hours before the US seized the leader in a military strike.

READ MORE: The comments from Trump's right-hand man that should annoy every Aussie

NEVER MISS A STORY: Get your breaking news and exclusive stories first by following us across all platforms.

• Download the 9NEWS App here via Apple and Google Play
• Make 9News your preferred source on Google by ticking this box here
• Sign up to our breaking newsletter here

OnlyFans owner Leonid Radvinsky has died after a battle with cancer, the company has confirmed.

The Ukrainian-born American businessman and entrepreneur was 43 years old and had an estimated net worth of $US4.7 billion at the time of his death, according to Forbes.

His death was announced by OnlyFans, the British company he owned and turned into an online pornography powerhouse.

LIVE UPDATES: Trump postpones strikes on Iranian energy sites

"We are deeply saddened to announce the death of Leo Radvinsky," a company spokesperson said.

"Leo passed away peacefully after a long battle with cancer."

The entrepreneur founded an adult streaming website MyFreeCams in 2004, and developed several websites that helped amass his fortune.

READ MORE: Brutal truth in Sydney mum's video as Aussies sweat through cost-of-living crisis

In 2018, he acquired a 75 per cent stake in Fenix International, the parent company of OnlyFans.

Under his watch, the company became focused on offering a platform for online pornography creators, with OnlyFans taking a 20 per cent cut of any profits made.

Since the site was founded in 2016, OnlyFans has paid out more than $36 billion to creators. 

Last year, it generated $10.27 billion from users, who pay subscriptions to the content creators, as well as offer tips and payment for special requests.

NEVER MISS A STORY: Get your breaking news and exclusive stories first by following us across all platforms.

• Download the 9NEWS App here via Apple and Google Play
• Make 9News your preferred source on Google by ticking this box here
• Sign up to our breaking newsletter here

A Sydney mum has pulled the curtain back on the brutal reality many Australian families face as the cost-of-living crisis continues to worsen.

The mum of three, who goes by K and runs the Instagram account @mylifebackinoz, confessed that despite earning two good incomes she and her partner "feel broke".

"Here's what middle class actually looks like in 2026," she wrote on a reel posted over the weekend.

LIVE UPDATES: Iran's military says Strait of Hormuz will be 'completely closed' if US bombs power plants

"Mortgage rates went up 0.25 per cent, groceries cost more than our first apartment rent, petrol prices [are] more than $2.50 a litre, add on childcare and kids' activities.

"We're not struggling, but we're not comfortable either."

K recently moved back to Australia after 14 years spent living abroad in the UK and said she has struggled with 'reverse culture shock', especially around the cost of living.

But K's family isn't the only one struggling.

Last week the Reserve Bank's second consecutive rate hike took rates to an eight-month high of 4.1 per cent.

That has put extra pressure on mortgage holders already struggling to make ends meet as essentials like groceries and fuel surge in price.

The cost of food and non-alcoholic beverages spiked by 3.1 per cent in the 12 months to January 2026, per the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

That's on top of years of rising grocery prices that have hit Aussies in the hip pocket.

READ MORE: Millions of Aussies will get an extra hour of sleep soon as daylight saving ends

An inquiry into price gouging and unfair pricing practices released in 2024 found the cost of cheese alone increased by 27.3 per cent between March 2021 and September 2023.

The cost of bread rose by 24.1 per cent, milk got 22.7 per cent more expensive, and eggs also saw a 19.7 per cent price hike.

According to the inquiry, the total price of a staple shopping basket rose by more than 15 per cent in that time period.

That's on top of rising housing costs, which have left many Aussies struggling to make rent.

The national median rent leapt from $420 per week in 2020 to $650 per week in 2025, marking the lowest level of rental affordability on record.

Meanwhile, the national median house price has hit $1.28 million, making homeownership an impossible dream for many families.

READ MORE: ABC staff to strike for first time in 20 years after rejecting national broadcaster's pay deal

Aussies also have the fuel crisis to contend with at the moment, which has seen the cost of petrol soar to more than $2.50 a litre in some locations.

Diesel hit a record three dollars a litre in parts of the country over the weekend.

Add the cost of raising a child – upwards of $200,000, according to some research – on top and it's no wonder some families feel like they're falling behind.

NEVER MISS A STORY: Get your breaking news and exclusive stories first by following us across all platforms.

• Download the 9NEWS App here via Apple and Google Play
• Make 9News your preferred source on Google by ticking this box here
• Sign up to our breaking newsletter here