Latest news with #PelosiTracker
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
The Americans making millions buying shares like top politicians
US politicians seem to know something about the stock market that ordinary Americans don't. Since April 2020, the value of the S&P 500 has surged by a heady 165pc. But over the same period, the stocks most purchased by members of Congress or their families have registered paper gains of no less than 465pc. That's according to a trading strategy designed by a start-up called Quiver Quantitative. American lawmakers are so consistently successful that a flurry of new platforms and apps now compile filing data from US politicians as a key input in strategies for retail investors and even hedge funds. The number of people using these so-called 'copy trading' strategies has exploded. Tens of thousands of Americans now follow and imitate trades made by members of Congress, and they are making millions of dollars in the process. New plans to ban members of Congress from trading could make the boom short-lived, however. The ban comes amid concerns that politicians are unfairly profiting from information gained in their privileged position as a representative of the American people. Former House speaker Nancy Pelosi is the old guard of Congressional trading and by far the most copied. The trades she discloses have developed such a reputation for out-performance that they have become market moving in themselves. In January, for example, Pelosi disclosed an investment in a health tech company called Tempus AI. Retail investors piled in. The company's share options surged 124pc. 'It's all INSIDE INFORMATION! Is anybody looking into this??? She is a disgusting degenerate,' Trump wrote on Truth Social earlier this month. Pelosi says all the trades are made by her husband, a property investor, and she has no involvement in the transactions. Whatever motivates these trades, it is becoming increasingly lucrative for a growing cohort of everyday Americans. Dub launched in March 2024 as America's first regulated brokerage to offer copy trading accounts to mimic politicians and star traders. 'It's been absolutely insane in terms of growth,' says Steven Wang, the founder and chief executive who dropped out of his freshman year at Harvard to build the platform. Today, it has 1.5 million users across America. Of the $100m or so invested across dub, nearly $23m is in its Pelosi tracker account. Since its launch in early 2024, its paper gains are 172pc. 'She beat every single hedge fund last year. Our customers have made millions of dollars just through her portfolio,' says Wang. Dub is one player in a rapidly expanding field. Autopilot launched in 2023 and allows retail investors to copy trade a variety of portfolios, including its Pelosi Tracker, by linking up their existing brokerage accounts. Also in 2023, financial data platform Unusual Whales launched two exchange-traded funds (ETFs) tracking trades made by politicians – one for Democrats' holdings, one for Republicans'. Insiderwave is a similar app under construction. 'I wouldn't be surprised if there are 100,000 people out there who are copy-trading different strategies based on Congressional trading data,' says James Kardatzke, who founded Quiver Quantitative with his twin brother in 2020. The data company now has around 750,000 registered users. It publishes a wide range of alternative datasets, scraping sources such as private jet flight patterns and turning them into digestible datasets that can be used to inform investment strategies. One of the first datasets on its platform was its Congressional investment tracker, a trading strategy that involves investing in the companies that have the most net purchases by members of Congress. More than 5,000 investors are currently using this copy trade bucket approach, says Kardatzke. Most of the platform's users are retail investors, but Quiver Quantitative also has a couple of dozen institutional clients that pay for the raw data feeds, building them into the decision-making processes behind their own trading strategies. 'Many of them see it as a source not only for figuring out how companies might be impacted by government legislation going forward, but even just thinking about how politicians might have access to inside information when they're making their trades,' says Kardatzke. Alongside Pelosi, House Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene's investments are becoming an increasingly popular copy trade. In April, Greene made an investment in Palantir just before immigration and customs enforcement (Ice) handed the company a $30m (£22m) contract. Greene sits on the committee for homeland security that oversees Ice. Since her trade, the value of her Palantir stock has jumped by 142pc. Dub recently released a copy trade account for Greene, which so far has $30,000 invested and is up by 22pc. Users have also invested $665,000 in a portfolio tracker for Donald Trump, which is up 24pc since it launched. The portfolio is based on the assets that Trump's family owns publicly, such as the Trump Media and Technology Group and Bitcoin, and the companies that donated to his campaign. 'It's our best guess of the stocks that would be very tightly correlated to Trump's actions and Trump's wealth,' says Wang. Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, says: 'Neither the president nor his family have ever engaged, or will ever engage, in conflicts of interest.' Altogether, there are two or three dozen Congressmen who trade actively, says Kardatzke. Pelosi ranks third in terms of paper profits over the last 12 months, at just under $1m, according to Quiver Quantitative. She was outdone by Republican Representative Michael McCaul, whose declared trades have made paper gains worth $3.6m and Democrat Representative Cleo Fields, who made $1.1m. Greene ranked sixth in terms of paper profits, at $367,000. Lawmakers insist that the stock market trades that they register are made without their knowledge, by their family members or wealth managers, and have nothing to do with insider information. 'I learnt about my Palantir trades when I saw it in the media,' Greene said back in May. McCaul's attorney says: 'Congressman McCaul did not purchase these stocks and had no advanced knowledge of the purchase. Rather, his wife has assets she solely owns, and a third-party manager made the purchase without her direction.' Ian Krager, Pelosi's press secretary, says: 'Speaker Pelosi does not own any stocks and has no knowledge or subsequent involvement in any transactions.' The crux of the problem, Kardatzke says, is that it is very difficult to prove which trades are made with someone's knowledge and which aren't. The copy trade boom began in the wake of the pandemic when lawmakers drew scrutiny for suspicious trades made after closed-door briefings. It has only gained more traction as start-ups work to make the filing data more accessible. Transparency rules in America are tighter than those in the UK. Members of Congress must detail any purchase, sale or exchange of an asset exceeding $1,000, made by themselves or their family members. In the UK, members of parliament are only required to register holdings worth £70,000 or more. The US system may be about to become even more strict. Republican Senator Josh Hawley is pushing for legislation that would ban officeholders from trading stocks. His bill, originally called the preventing elected leaders from owning securities and investments (Pelosi) Act, passed the Senate committee on homeland security and governmental affairs at the end of July. Trump had initially expressed support for the idea, saying 'I like it conceptually.' When the act passed the committee, however, Trump lashed out at long-time Maga ally Hawley, calling him a 'second-tier Senator' and claimed the Democrats were using him 'as a pawn to help them'. Hawley later said the bust-up was caused by a misunderstanding, as the president had wrongly been told the bill would force him to sell his assets. 'When we walked through the text of the bill, he was like, 'Oh, OK,'' Hawley told Business Insider, adding that the president was committed to a stock-trading ban. Scott Bessent, the US treasury secretary, has also voiced his support. 'Whether it's Rep. Pelosi, Sen [Ron] Wyden, every hedge fund would be jealous of them,' Bessent told Bloomberg last week. 'And the American people deserve better than this.' Wyden, a Democrat, is also in the top 30 by paper trading profits in the last 12 months. Wang welcomes a Congressional trading ban, but is sceptical that it will pass. There is simply too much money being made. 'Until then, here's a product where if you can't beat them, we can at least provide you with a way to join them and make money.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
04-08-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
The Rise of Social Investing: Why Following Experts Might Be Your Best Move
Sometimes, your best investment move might be watching someone else make theirs. That's the idea behind a fast-growing trend known as social investing, a model that's becoming increasingly mainstream thanks to platforms like eToro and X accounts like Pelosi Tracker, which has amassed a following by tracking the trades of high-profile politicians and public figures. The big appeal? You don't need to be a market genius to make smarter moves; you can simply follow people who are. Don't Miss: $100k+ in investable assets? – no cost, no obligation. Accredited Investors: Grab Pre-IPO Shares of the AI Company Powering Hasbro, Sephora & MGM— When Elon Musk Posts, Markets Listen A 2023 peer-reviewed study in the Technological Forecasting and Social Change journal dug into the so-called Musk Effect. It examined 47 cryptocurrency-related posts by Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) CEO Elon Musk and found that even a single X post could result in abnormal returns of up to 4.79% within an hour, along with surging trading volumes. In the first two minutes, the abnormal returns were 3.58%. The researchers wrote that Musk's posts often blur the line between jokes and market-moving statements. One famous example? In 2021, he simply changed his X bio to '#bitcoin,' causing the price to jump from $32,000 to over $38,000 in just a few hours. That single act added $111 billion to Bitcoin's market cap. This brings up questions about whether that's fair or safe for everyday investors, but it also makes something very clear: big personalities online can really move the markets, and more and more people are paying attention. Trending: 'Scrolling To UBI' — Deloitte's #1 fastest-growing software company allows users to earn money on their phones. You can Social Investing Puts You In The Room With Experts The idea behind social investing is simple: if a seasoned investor or market mover is making a move, and you have access to that information, why not ride the same wave? That's exactly what eToro (NASDAQ:ETOR) has built its platform around. With eToro's CopyTrader feature, you can view and automatically replicate the portfolios of top investors, including those with long-term track records of success, with as little as $200. Whether you're into crypto, stocks, or ETFs, you can browse real-world returns and match your strategy to theirs with just a click. It's investing, but social, transparent and tailored to match your goals. Investing In The Age Of Digital Overload It's no secret that markets move fast, especially when social media accelerates the news cycle. But this constant flood of noise is exactly why some investors are choosing curated, signal-driven strategies instead of relying on gut study on Musk's social media influence pointed to a broader issue: investors struggle with information overload. Too many headlines, too many conflicting opinions, and too little time to sift through it all. That's what makes social investing appealing: it filters the noise by giving you real-time access to what skilled traders are actually doing, not just saying. Watch What They Do And Act Accordingly Social trading doesn't guarantee returns, but it offers a level of transparency that traditional finance often lacks. With tools like Pelosi Tracker, investors are watching lawmakers' trades for signs of market conviction. And with eToro, you're not just watching, you're participating. When one social media post can send markets soaring or crashing, just keeping up with the news isn't enough. You're better off following the people who are already making big moves. Read Next: Warren Buffett once said, "If you don't find a way to make money while you sleep, you will work until you die."Up Next: Transform your trading with Benzinga Edge's one-of-a-kind market trade ideas and tools. Click now to access unique insights that can set you ahead in today's competitive market. Get the latest stock analysis from Benzinga? TESLA (TSLA): Free Stock Analysis Report This article The Rise of Social Investing: Why Following Experts Might Be Your Best Move originally appeared on © 2025 Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Yahoo
03-08-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
The Rise of Social Investing: Why Following Experts Might Be Your Best Move
Sometimes, your best investment move might be watching someone else make theirs. That's the idea behind a fast-growing trend known as social investing, a model that's becoming increasingly mainstream thanks to platforms like eToro and X accounts like Pelosi Tracker, which has amassed a following by tracking the trades of high-profile politicians and public figures. The big appeal? You don't need to be a market genius to make smarter moves; you can simply follow people who are. Don't Miss: $100k+ in investable assets? – no cost, no obligation. Accredited Investors: Grab Pre-IPO Shares of the AI Company Powering Hasbro, Sephora & MGM— When Elon Musk Posts, Markets Listen A 2023 peer-reviewed study in the Technological Forecasting and Social Change journal dug into the so-called Musk Effect. It examined 47 cryptocurrency-related posts by Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) CEO Elon Musk and found that even a single X post could result in abnormal returns of up to 4.79% within an hour, along with surging trading volumes. In the first two minutes, the abnormal returns were 3.58%. The researchers wrote that Musk's posts often blur the line between jokes and market-moving statements. One famous example? In 2021, he simply changed his X bio to '#bitcoin,' causing the price to jump from $32,000 to over $38,000 in just a few hours. That single act added $111 billion to Bitcoin's market cap. This brings up questions about whether that's fair or safe for everyday investors, but it also makes something very clear: big personalities online can really move the markets, and more and more people are paying attention. Trending: 'Scrolling To UBI' — Deloitte's #1 fastest-growing software company allows users to earn money on their phones. You can Social Investing Puts You In The Room With Experts The idea behind social investing is simple: if a seasoned investor or market mover is making a move, and you have access to that information, why not ride the same wave? That's exactly what eToro (NASDAQ:ETOR) has built its platform around. With eToro's CopyTrader feature, you can view and automatically replicate the portfolios of top investors, including those with long-term track records of success, with as little as $200. Whether you're into crypto, stocks, or ETFs, you can browse real-world returns and match your strategy to theirs with just a click. It's investing, but social, transparent and tailored to match your goals. Investing In The Age Of Digital Overload It's no secret that markets move fast, especially when social media accelerates the news cycle. But this constant flood of noise is exactly why some investors are choosing curated, signal-driven strategies instead of relying on gut study on Musk's social media influence pointed to a broader issue: investors struggle with information overload. Too many headlines, too many conflicting opinions, and too little time to sift through it all. That's what makes social investing appealing: it filters the noise by giving you real-time access to what skilled traders are actually doing, not just saying. Watch What They Do And Act Accordingly Social trading doesn't guarantee returns, but it offers a level of transparency that traditional finance often lacks. With tools like Pelosi Tracker, investors are watching lawmakers' trades for signs of market conviction. And with eToro, you're not just watching, you're participating. When one social media post can send markets soaring or crashing, just keeping up with the news isn't enough. You're better off following the people who are already making big moves. Read Next: Warren Buffett once said, "If you don't find a way to make money while you sleep, you will work until you die."Up Next: Transform your trading with Benzinga Edge's one-of-a-kind market trade ideas and tools. Click now to access unique insights that can set you ahead in today's competitive market. Get the latest stock analysis from Benzinga? TESLA (TSLA): Free Stock Analysis Report This article The Rise of Social Investing: Why Following Experts Might Be Your Best Move originally appeared on © 2025 Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. Sign in to access your portfolio
Business Insider
14-07-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
This Democratic Senate candidate says he's made a 60% return from copying the Pelosi family's stock trades
Since then, he says he's made about $600. "It's not really a serious thing. I'm not banking on this," Scholten, who's now running for US Senate against Republican Sen. Joni Ernst, told BI in an interview. In a financial disclosure filed on Monday, Scholten said that his investment in the "Pelosi Tracker" was made "partly as a joke." The tracker is run by Autopilot, an app that allows retail investors to automatically copy stock trades made by politicians and prominent hedge fund managers. The Pelosi Tracker follows trades made by Paul Pelosi, who is married to Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi. Scholten, who calls himself a "prairie populist," said that he would sell off the stocks if elected and said that he supports banning lawmakers from trading stocks. "I think it's a disservice to the people," he said. "We gotta clean that up to make sure that people are in it for the right reasons, not just to get rich." Scholten said that he decided to invest in the tracker after hearing about it via Instagram. He had just earned a $1,000 bonus from a law firm he had recently joined, and he decided to try it out. "I'd never owned a stock before," Scholten said. He told BI that he had $1617.25 in the account as of Monday. Though the former speaker does not trade stocks herself, her husband's trades have drawn scrutiny given his proximity to Pelosi, who controlled the House floor schedule during her time as speaker and likely had access to non-public information. Ian Krager, a spokesman for Pelosi, reaffirmed in a statement to BI that the former speaker doesn't own the stocks and has "no prior knowledge or subsequent involvement in any transactions." She has said that she supports banning lawmakers from trading stocks. Autopilot cofounder Chris Joseph told BI on Monday that the app now has more than $400 million in client assets following Pelosi's trades, and said that the point of the tracker itself is to "highlight the hypocrisy" of congressional stock trading. "We welcome JD and hope this further pushes the movement to get them banned from trading," Josephs said. Scholten rose to prominence in 2018 when he ran for Congress against Rep. Steve King, a Republican with a long history of controversial comments about race and immigration. He came within three points of defeating King that year. This year, he's running for the Senate seat currently held by Republican Sen. Joni Ernst. State Sen. Zach Wahls and Nathan Sage are also running in the Democratic primary.
Business Insider
14-07-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
This Democratic Senate candidate says he's made a 60% return from copying the Pelosi family's stock trades
JD Scholten, a Democratic state legislator in Iowa, invested $1,000 in a fund that follows the Pelosi family's stock trades in early 2024. Since then, he says he's made about $600. "It's not really a serious thing. I'm not banking on this," Scholten, who's now running for US Senate against Republican Sen. Joni Ernst, told BI in an interview. In a financial disclosure filed on Monday, Scholten said that his investment in the "Pelosi Tracker" was made "partly as a joke." The tracker is run by Autopilot, an app that allows retail investors to automatically copy stock trades made by politicians and prominent hedge fund managers. The Pelosi Tracker follows trades made by Paul Pelosi, who is married to Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi. Scholten, who calls himself a "prairie populist," said that he would sell off the stocks if elected and said that he supports banning lawmakers from trading stocks. "I think it's a disservice to the people," he said. "We gotta clean that up to make sure that people are in it for the right reasons, not just to get rich." Scholten said that he decided to invest in the tracker after hearing about it via Instagram. He had just earned a $1,000 bonus from a law firm he had recently joined, and he decided to try it out. "I'd never owned a stock before," Scholten said. He told BI that he had $1617.25 in the account as of Monday. Though the former speaker does not trade stocks herself, her husband's trades have drawn scrutiny given his proximity to Pelosi, who controlled the House floor schedule during her time as speaker and likely had access to non-public information. Ian Krager, a spokesman for Pelosi, reaffirmed in a statement to BI that the former speaker doesn't own the stocks and has "no prior knowledge or subsequent involvement in any transactions." She has said that she supports banning lawmakers from trading stocks. Autopilot cofounder Chris Joseph told BI on Monday that the app now has more than $400 million in client assets following Pelosi's trades, and said that the point of the tracker itself is to "highlight the hypocrisy" of congressional stock trading. "We welcome JD and hope this further pushes the movement to get them banned from trading," Josephs said. Scholten rose to prominence in 2018 when he ran for Congress against Rep. Steve King, a Republican with a long history of controversial comments about race and immigration. He came within three points of defeating King that year. This year, he's running for the Senate seat currently held by Republican Sen. Joni Ernst. State Sen. Zach Wahls and Nathan Sage are also running in the Democratic primary. On his financial disclosure, Scholten also reported earning $6,000 as a professional baseball player as well as his salary and per diem as a state representative, a role he's held since 2023.
