TLDR
- COOT stock jumped 365% in pre-market trading on Wednesday after President Trump threatened to cut cooking oil imports from China
- The rally followed Trump’s Truth Social post calling China’s soybean boycott “an Economically Hostile Act”
- Trading volume exploded from 503,000 shares daily average to over 89 million shares
- COOT recently launched its GEO brand on China’s Zhongsheng GO platform, reaching 5+ million users
- Other agriculture stocks including Origin Agritech and Arcadia Biosciences also rallied on the news
Australian Oilseeds Holdings stock rocketed higher on Wednesday with shares climbing 365% in pre-market trading. The explosive move came after President Trump posted about potential retaliation against China over cooking oil trade.
The rally started Tuesday when COOT shares gained 46.2% during regular trading hours. After markets closed, the stock surged another 248% in after-hours trading to $3.36.
By Wednesday morning, shares were trading around $4.00. This represented a jump from Tuesday’s close of $0.97.
President Trump’s Truth Social post sparked the frenzy. He called China’s decision to stop buying U.S. soybeans “an Economically Hostile Act.”
Trump wrote that the U.S. is “considering terminating business with China having to do with Cooking Oil, and other elements of Trade, as retribution.” He noted that “we can easily produce Cooking Oil ourselves, we don’t need to purchase it from China.”
The comments triggered a broad rally across the food supply sector. Traders piled into companies that produce cooking oils and agricultural products.
Origin Agritech stock jumped 92.3% in after-hours trading. Arcadia Biosciences climbed 53.3%.
Trading volume for COOT exploded on the news. More than 89 million shares changed hands compared to the three-month daily average of about 503,000 shares.
Recent Company Developments
Australian Oilseeds manufactures sustainable, non-GMO edible oils including canola, chia, hemp and sunflower. The company is based in Cootamundra, New South Wales.
On October 6, COOT launched its GEO consumer brand on China’s Zhongsheng GO e-commerce platform. The partnership gives GEO products access to over 5 million registered users through WeChat and a mobile app.
CEO Gary Seaton said the moves support global growth. GEO oils are currently sold in China, Japan, Vietnam, Thailand and other Asia-Pacific markets.
The company recently regained Nasdaq listing compliance by August 31. It raised equity by converting debt and reported $3.26 million in equity, above the $2.5 million minimum requirement.
Price Movement and Outlook
Despite the rally, COOT shares remain down 18.91% year-to-date. The stock is up 28.84% over the past 12 months.
The 52-week range before this rally was $0.45 to $1.69. The company’s market cap was approximately $27 million before the surge.
Some policy experts urged caution about the rally. Georgetown professor Rush Doshi tweeted that China would likely “see this as weakness” rather than be deterred.
Another analyst noted that much of the cooking oil in question is recycled waste. Chinese domestic demand already outpaces supply.
Global soybean production is hitting record levels. Brazil’s 2025/26 crop is estimated near 178 million tons.
China has diverted huge volumes to South America. This has pushed U.S. soybean futures to three-to-four-year lows.
Chinese buyers are turning almost entirely to Brazil this season. This leaves U.S. suppliers under pressure.
TipRanks‘ AI analyst Spark rates COOT stock an Underperform with a 50-cent price target, citing “severe financial and operational challenges.” The company reported approximately $7.4 million in revenue for Q3 2025 with a small per-share profit.
