
Hours into his second day of contentious testimony in Congress, Kash Patel, the FBI director, sparked one of the more unusual stock rallies of the year.
Patel, who’s faced withering criticism from lawmakers in both the Senate and lower house, was pressed at one point on why he had purchased individual stocks while in office. Patel explained that he’s long liked to trade stocks and said that in this case he simply saw “good investment” opportunities in Krispy Kreme Inc. and ON Semiconductor Corp.
Within minutes, Krispy Kreme stock was up 12% and ON Semiconductor 4.1%. The stocks closed the day up roughly 1% and 0.5%, respectively, amid a broader market selloff following the Federal Reserve’s interest-rate cut.

That the director of the FBI can move stocks, with seemingly the most anodyne of comments, illustrates the sway on markets that crowds of amateur traders now have. They’ve bid up meme stocks and obscure crypto currencies and SPACs and, more recently, shares associated with President Donald Trump and his inner circle. Patel, who’s been a loyal Trump supporter for years, was appointed to run the FBI shortly after last year’s election.
Disclaimer
The information contained in South Florida Reporter is for general information purposes only.
The South Florida Reporter assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions in the contents of the Service.
In no event shall the South Florida Reporter be liable for any special, direct, indirect, consequential, or incidental damages or any damages whatsoever, whether in an action of contract, negligence or other tort, arising out of or in connection with the use of the Service or the contents of the Service. The Company reserves the right to make additions, deletions, or modifications to the contents of the Service at any time without prior notice.
The Company does not warrant that the Service is free of viruses or other harmful components