In continuation of recent reports that billionaire investor Prateek Suri is holding a $150 million open oil position without a stop-loss, fresh developments indicate that additional capital has been deployed to sustain the trade as volatility intensifies.
According to people familiar with the matter, Maser Group has injected further funds into its trading account on Interactive Brokers following margin shortfalls triggered by sharp fluctuations in global crude prices through African subsidiary.
The position—already viewed as highly aggressive due to its unhedged structure and absence of downside protection—has now entered a more pressured phase, where the sustainability of the trade depends not only on market direction but also on continuous capital support.
Market participants note that large leveraged positions are highly sensitive to intraday swings. Even modest corrections can erode margin buffers, forcing traders to either exit positions or deploy fresh liquidity to maintain exposure.
In this case, Suri has chosen to reinforce the position rather than reduce it—effectively increasing both conviction and risk simultaneously.
“This has moved beyond a directional trade,” said a commodities market observer. “It is now a liquidity-driven position where the ability to withstand volatility is as critical as being right on price.”
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The risks associated with such a strategy remain significant.
With no stop-loss in place, downside exposure is effectively open-ended. A sudden de-escalation in geopolitical tensions—particularly a ceasefire—could lead to a sharp correction in oil prices, rapidly unwinding the risk premium currently embedded in the market.
In such a scenario, leveraged positions may trigger cascading margin calls, forcing rapid liquidation. Market experts caution that under extreme conditions, even substantial capital injections may not be sufficient to prevent a full erosion of deployed funds.
An expert at Goldman Sachs observed that trades of this nature rank among the most aggressive currently seen in global commodity markets.“This is one of the riskiest structures in today’s environment—high leverage, no downside protection, and heavy dependence on geopolitical outcomes,” the expert said.
“If prices reverse aggressively, positions of this nature can unwind very quickly,” added a global energy strategist. “There is a realistic possibility that the entire capital at risk could be wiped out.”
Despite the pressure, people familiar with the strategy indicate that the position remains anchored in the expectation that geopolitical instability will persist, sustaining upward pressure on oil prices.
However, with volatility ongoing and additional capital now committed, the trade has effectively entered an “all-or-nothing” phase—where the outcome will likely be determined less by fundamentals and more by unpredictable geopolitical developments.