This trading bot buys stocks bought by politicians; Here’s how much it’s up in H1, 2026

Over the years, U.S. members of Congress have garnered a reputation for being exceptional stock market traders, and the performance of copy-trading bots that track politicians in the first half (H1) of 2026 gives ample proof of their savviness. 

Specifically, the ‘Congress Buys Strategy’ – a strategy that tracks the performance of shares purchased by Congresspeople and their family members – shows a year-to-date (YTD) climb of 20.80%. 

Within the same timeframe, the benchmark S&P 500 stock index rallied a significantly lower 10.93%. The gap between the market and American politicians is also evident in the long-term performance.

For example, the 12-month performance of the ‘Congress Buys Strategy’ shows a 37.46% rise, and the copy-trading portfolio soared 580.50% since its starting point in April 2020.

The S&P 500 is up 27.63% and 207.32% in the two timeframes.

The ‘Congress Sells Strategy’ underlines Congressional trading’s ability to beat the market

Meanwhile, ‘Congress Sells Strategy’, a different strategy also operated by Quiver Quantitative, a research platform known for sharing some of the most questionable politician stock trades on X, gives insight into the U.S. members of Congress’ ability to exit weak positions at the right moment.

The portfolio that invests in equity dumped by politicians is up 4.68% through H1, 2026 – significantly less than the S&P 500 – and rallied 8.58% in the last 12 months, for a substantial underperformance relative to the benchmark index.

Examining the all-time chart, which also has its starting point in April 2020, however, demonstrates that Congressional trading is not infallible. 

Specifically, Congressional trades – or rather, sales – within the period led the ‘Congress Sells Strategy’ to gain 235.87% while the wider market is up 207.32%.

Why Congressional trading is unlikely to get banned in 2026

Elsewhere, the tendency of Congressional trades to yield exceptional returns, paired with the rather lax reporting requirements and effectively non-existent penalties for violating the STOCKS Act, has, over the years, led to much controversy.

Over the years, many observers and commentators have concluded that a significant portion of American politicians use non-public information when deciding on their trades – a conclusion backed by the tendency of many legislators to invest in sectors they oversee, but also vehemently denied by the lawmakers.

Though the controversy has also yielded a strong push to ban officials elected to the House of Representatives and the Senate from engaging with the stock market, recent remarks by Speaker Mike Johnson appear to have halted the initiative for the time being.

Indeed, in mid-May, the Republican highlighted that the pay of his peers has been frozen – albeit an average of $174,000 per year – for nearly two decades, making stock market activity a legitimate way of supplementing income.

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