More than ten firms are paying up to $100,000 a month for fast access to posts on Truth Social, the social media platform used by US President Donald Trump.
Fast-access feeds allow subscribers to receive new posts as soon as they appear, enabling automated trading systems to react within moments. Such services typically deliver posts in a format that computer programs can read and act on instantly.
Statements by political leaders on subjects such as trade or economic policy can move markets quickly, giving an advantage to those who see them first.
Data feeds of this kind are common in finance, where firms pay for news wires and economic releases that arrive fractions of a second sooner.
“In markets that react in milliseconds, whoever reads the headline first has an advantage over everyone else.”
“In markets that react in milliseconds, whoever reads the headline first has an advantage,” said one market structure specialist.
Critics argue that paid fast access to political statements raises questions of fairness for ordinary investors who see the same posts later.
Supporters counter that the posts are public and that paying for speed is a long-established practice across financial information services.
Market participants say high-frequency and algorithmic trading firms are the most likely customers, as their strategies depend on reacting faster than competitors. Even a delay of a fraction of a second can determine whether a trade is profitable.
Regulators have previously examined how differences in access to information can affect market integrity, though rules typically focus on non-public information.
The arrangements highlight how social media has become part of the information flow that financial markets now monitor around the clock.
