Disinformation on X Causes Market Instability and Moves $2.4 Trillion in Minutes

Written by Roberta Souza

Published on 14/04/2025 at 21:30

Updated on 14/04/2025 at 21:31

Foto: Olhar Digital

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Fake News About US Tariffs Misled Media, Investors, and Caused a Sharp Drop in Markets

A rumor spread on X (formerly Twitter) caused a $2.4 trillion fluctuation in the global financial market this Monday (8). In just ten minutes, investors reacted en masse to a false news story about US trade tariffs. The information, denied shortly afterward by the White House, reveals how digital misinformation continues to impact entire economies, according to the site Revista Forum.

What Happened: Fake News with a Blue Check

The episode began after a live interview with Kevin Hassett, economic advisor to the US, on Fox News. When asked about the possible suspension of trade tariffs, he gave vague answers. Shortly after, verified accounts began to publish a supposed announcement from the US government.

The account “Hammer Capital” claimed that the US would suspend tariffs for all countries except China.
The rumor was replicated by paid blue check profiles, confusing users and news outlets.
The account “Walter Bloomberg” also spread the information, unrelated to Bloomberg News.
Reuters and CNBC reported the supposed measure but deleted the posts minutes later.

Immediate Impact: Market Reacted in Seconds

According to Dow Jones Market Data, the global market lost $2.4 trillion in market value right after the rumor spread.

ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW

Rumors That Became Reality: Experiment Showed the Danger

In 2023, streamer Zealand did an experiment:

Created a rumor about the transfer of player Ismaïla Sarr to Everton.
Verified accounts spread the false information.
Betting sites adjusted the odds by over 300% in just a few minutes.

“I was disturbed by how easy it was to manipulate the system,” said Zealand after seeing his test go viral globally.

Disinformation on X Causes Market Instability and Moves $2.4 Trillion in Minutes

Fake News About US Tariffs Misled Media, Investors, and Caused a Sharp Drop in Markets

What Happened: Fake News with a Blue Check

Immediate Impact: Market Reacted in Seconds

Rumors That Became Reality: Experiment Showed the Danger

A Chinese factory in Guangdong is assembling a humanoid robot every 30 minutes while Tesla, Figure, and Boston Dynamics still struggle to deliver 10 thousand per year.

Elon Musk’s internet comes to mobile: Starlink technology connects smartphones without an antenna via satellite, works even without carrier signal, already costs just US$10 extra in the US, and could arrive in Brazil as an included benefit.

Seven world powers including the US, China, and Russia are spending €22 billion on a reactor in the south of France that aims to confine plasma at 150 million degrees Celsius, ten times the temperature of the Sun’s core, using a magnetic field capable of lifting an entire aircraft carrier.

In Niger, mud buildings have stood for ten generations while the world spends billions on concrete and steel, now African architects are proving at the Venice Biennale and in real projects that red earth can be the smartest and most sustainable building material of the 21st century.

While Brazil has been discussing bullet trains for 16 years, China delivers 5 new high-speed lines in 2026, surpasses 50,000 km of HSR, and moves 1 billion passengers in a single year.

Secret chamber sealed 4,500 years ago found in the Pyramid of Khufu, and Hawass announces its opening to the world in 2026

With a wingspan of 152 meters, 76 tires, and a capacity to carry 1,270 tons, the Boeing Pelican was the giant “flying ship” that promised to cross oceans close to the water on an invisible air cushion beneath its wings.

Renault Espace F1 put a Formula 1 V10 with 820 hp inside a 4-seater minivan, exceeded 300 km/h, and became one of the craziest automotive experiences ever built.

Builder opens garage foundation in English village and finds secret tunnel that residents thought was a legend for decades, revealing an underground network with bones, ceramics, and possible medieval markings.

With 215 meters and a capacity for 28,000 tons of cables, a new giant ship has been launched to deploy underwater structures up to 4,000 meters deep on the seabed.

Crisis at Samsung heats up in South Korea and threatens to turn a bonus dispute into a global headache for the semiconductor market

Disinformation on X Causes Market Instability and Moves $2.4 Trillion in Minutes

Fake News About US Tariffs Misled Media, Investors, and Caused a Sharp Drop in Markets

What Happened: Fake News with a Blue Check

Immediate Impact: Market Reacted in Seconds

Rumors That Became Reality: Experiment Showed the Danger

A Chinese factory in Guangdong is assembling a humanoid robot every 30 minutes while Tesla, Figure, and Boston Dynamics still struggle to deliver 10 thousand per year.

Elon Musk’s internet comes to mobile: Starlink technology connects smartphones without an antenna via satellite, works even without carrier signal, already costs just US$10 extra in the US, and could arrive in Brazil as an included benefit.

Seven world powers including the US, China, and Russia are spending €22 billion on a reactor in the south of France that aims to confine plasma at 150 million degrees Celsius, ten times the temperature of the Sun’s core, using a magnetic field capable of lifting an entire aircraft carrier.

In Niger, mud buildings have stood for ten generations while the world spends billions on concrete and steel, now African architects are proving at the Venice Biennale and in real projects that red earth can be the smartest and most sustainable building material of the 21st century.

While Brazil has been discussing bullet trains for 16 years, China delivers 5 new high-speed lines in 2026, surpasses 50,000 km of HSR, and moves 1 billion passengers in a single year.

Secret chamber sealed 4,500 years ago found in the Pyramid of Khufu, and Hawass announces its opening to the world in 2026

With a wingspan of 152 meters, 76 tires, and a capacity to carry 1,270 tons, the Boeing Pelican was the giant “flying ship” that promised to cross oceans close to the water on an invisible air cushion beneath its wings.

Brazil placed three airports among the ten busiest in Latin America in 2025, with Guarulhos leading the continental ranking ahead of Bogotá and Mexico City, while Congonhas is set to receive R$ 2.4 billion and increase from 22 to 30 million passengers per year.

Freedom savings: accumulated réis, opened accounts, and negotiated freedom: enslaved people’s savings books reveal a little-known financial history of imperial Brazil

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As the US blocks Cuba’s oil amid national blackouts, China quietly enters the island with solar panels: the country has already installed 50 renewable parks and plans for 92 by 2028, in the world’s largest solar revolution.

Supermarkets closed on Sundays in Brazil: owner of the 4th largest chain in the country advocates for the permanent end of operations, reveals a 10% drop in turnover, and claims that the measure could solve the crisis with 4,000 open positions in the sector.

Renault Espace F1 put a Formula 1 V10 with 820 hp inside a 4-seater minivan, exceeded 300 km/h, and became one of the craziest automotive experiences ever built.

Builder opens garage foundation in English village and finds secret tunnel that residents thought was a legend for decades, revealing an underground network with bones, ceramics, and possible medieval markings.

With 215 meters and a capacity for 28,000 tons of cables, a new giant ship has been launched to deploy underwater structures up to 4,000 meters deep on the seabed.

Crisis at Samsung heats up in South Korea and threatens to turn a bonus dispute into a global headache for the semiconductor market