From Spike In SPY, QQQ Call Volume To Musk's Short-Seller Showdown: 2025's Most-Read Benzinga Stories

As we wrap up 2025, let’s take a look back at some of the most intriguing stories that caught readers’ attention on Benzinga during the year. From forgotten fortunes to billion-dollar bets, these tales offer a glimpse into the world of investing, business strategies, and the unpredictable nature of the stock market.

Spike In SPY, QQQ Call Volume

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) demanded disclosure from Congress members after noticing that the Nasdaq call volume spiked minutes before President Donald Trump‘s announcement on a tariff pause.

The data, shared by Spencer Hakimian, founder of Tolou Capital Management and Unusual Whales, showed that call volumes for various contracts started spiking around 1:00 p.m. ET, before Trump’s announcement at 1:18 p.m. ET on Apr. 9.

Read the full article here.

Howard Marks’ Market Storm Warning

Howard Marks, the Co-founder and co-chairman of Oaktree Capital Management, who accurately predicted the dot-com bubble 25 years ago, issued a warning to investors.

In his “On Bubble Watch” paper in January, Marks pointed out several cautionary signs in the market, including over-optimism, ongoing AI hype, reliance on ‘Magnificent Seven’ stocks, and index investing bias.

Read the full article here.

Dogecoin’s Potential Surge

A crypto analyst, known as Crypto Kaleo, predicted a staggering 2,600% surge for Dogecoin (CRYPTO: DOGE), which would catapult its market cap to $1 trillion. Kaleo’s prediction was based on a mathematical deduction, comparing Dogecoin's performance in the last cycle against Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) and projecting a similar pattern for the future.

Read the full article here.

Peter Schiff’s Nike Prediction

Economist Peter Schiff predicted that Nike Inc. (NYSE:NKE) would not shift production to the U.S. despite newly imposed tariffs, leading to higher prices and reduced domestic sales. Schiff suggested that Nike would instead redirect products to consumers in other countries.

Read the full article here.

Elon Musk’s Short-Seller Showdown

Elon Musk dared short-sellers to bet against Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA), predicting they’d be crushed once self-driving tech and Optimus robots took off.

However, Tesla’s shares have plunged roughly 53% from their December peak, and the short-sellers Musk warned have raked in a staggering $16.2 billion in profits over the last three months.

Read the full article here.

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