This year has witnessed significant politician stock trading activity, and several stocks stand out by their considerable selling volume. However, Congressional selling does not always mean low confidence in the target companies, as politicians sell for various reasons. This guide will help you interpret Congressional stock selling and present you with the top ten stocks U.S. senators are selling in 2024.
Receive Signals on US Senators' Stock Trades
Stay up-to-date on the trading activity of US Senators. The signal triggers based on updates from the Senate disclosure reports, notifying you of their latest stock transactions.
What does politician stock selling tell you?
When politicians buy a stock, it usually means they have confidence in the company. In other words, senators buying a stock is a potential green signal for other investors to follow.
On the other hand, politicians selling stock can mean many things. While it can still indicate their bearish attitude, it can also mean, for example, that they want to rack up previous profits or they want the cash to purchase a property.
To help you determine the intention behind stock offloading, compare individual financial reports with other politicians and corporate insiders. If it’s just one person, it might mean anything. However, if several vital politicians and insiders are selling the stock, it might be a sign that it is time to fold and close your position.
How to track politicians’ stock trades?
Monitoring congressional stock trades is possible due to the STOCK Act, which regulates and makes public all transactions valued above $1,000 within 45 days of the transaction. Due to the Act, every member of the public can at any time access reports that all members of Congress are legally obliged to disclose.
That said, manually tracking the exhaustive official repository can be incredibly difficult and require much time and effort. To efficiently track stock transactions made by U.S. senators and Congress members, we recommend using a tool like Finbold Signals. With our tracker, you can receive valuable info on time and use it to inform your investing decisions better.
Additionally, by using Finbold Signals, you can track institutional investors and insider trading activities, as well as politicians, and receive other relevant updates via email, Discord, and Telegram.
Receive Signals on US Senators' Stock Trades
Stay up-to-date on the trading activity of US Senators. The signal triggers based on updates from the Senate disclosure reports, notifying you of their latest stock transactions.
Top 10 stocks US Senators are selling
Below is a list of the top ten stocks U.S. senators are selling in 2024. Bear in mind that, due to the limitations of the STOCK Act, we cannot know the exact trading volume; we can only use a broad range of values instead.
| Rank | Company | Ticker symbol | Trade volume sold |
| 1. | Intel | NASDAQ: INTC | $550,000–$1.26M |
| 2. | Cleveland-Cliffs | NYSE: CLF | $545,000–$1.26M |
| 3. | Microsoft | NASDAQ: MSFT | $520,000–$1.25M |
| 4. | Formula One Group | NASDAQ: FWONK | $400,000–$850,000 |
| 5. | Apple | NASDAQ: AAPL | $300,000–$715,000 |
| 6. | Atlanta Braves | NASDAQ: BATRA | $300,000–$600,000 |
| 7. | Alphabet (Google) | NASDAQ: GOOGL | $250,000–$560,000 |
| 8. | Sweetgreen | NYSE: SG | $250,000–$500,000 |
| 9. | Goldman Sachs | NYSE: GS | $250,000–$500,000 |
| 10. | Amazon | NASDAQ: AMZN | $250,000–$500,000 |
1. Intel
The stock senators sold the most in 2024 is Intel (NASDAQ: INTC), with the total value sold between $550,000 and $1.26 million. The leading cause is likely a stiff drop in its stock price in August when it lost more than 28% of its value. However, it should be noted that members of Congress also bought this stock a lot throughout the year. Of 37 stock trades made by U.S. politicians this year, 21 were buy orders, and 16 were sell orders.
2. Cleveland-Cliffs
The close second place, Cleveland-Cliffs (NYSE: CLF), is a stock exclusively traded by two Republicans, Representative Mike Kelly and Senator Tommy Tuberville. However, as Kelly only made a single purchase order in March 2024 worth between $50,000 and $100,000, the entirety of the trading volume sold was done by Tommy Tuberville.
3. Microsoft
With a sell order volume of $520,000 to $1.25 million, Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) is the third-most sold stock among U.S. senators. However, the stock is also the most bought among senators, confirming our statement that a lack of confidence is not always the reason behind political stock sales.
4. Formula One Group
Formula One Group (NASDAQ: FWONK) is yet another niche stock exclusive to a handful of politicians. In fact, Senator John Hickenlooper is responsible for the entirety of the FWONK selling volume of between $400,000 and $850,000.
5. Apple
Similar to Microsoft, Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) is a highly popular technology stock that is both bought and sold, contributing to its significant congressional popularity. Among 86 Congressional AAPL trades made within the past 12 months, 44 were made by Democrats, while 42 were made by Republicans. Coincidentally, the number of buy orders is 42, while the number of sell orders is 44, roughly equally split among party lines.
6. Atlanta Braves
Atlanta Braves (NASDAQ: BATRA) shares the fate with Formula One Group in the sense that the entirety of its $300,000 to $600,000 worth of volume sold was done by Senator John Hickenlooper in two trade orders made in September.
7. Alphabet (Google)
One of the most popular stocks in general, Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOGL), is also a favorite among American lawmakers. That said, in 2024, it was more sold than bought, with 67 sell orders versus 27 buy orders. It is worth noting that Republicans were more inclined to sell Google stocks than Democrats.
8. Sweetgreen
Sweetgreen (NYSE: SG) was notably traded by Senator Richard Blumenthal. He shorted SG in May this year but closed the trade too early, that is, before the 10% drop in price. Notably, he was the only U.S. politician to invest in Sweetgreen in the past three years, but his single bet was worth between $250,000 and $500,000.
9. Goldman Sachs
Many U.S. politicians from both parties hold the Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE: GS) stock in their portfolios. In 2024, Representative Michael McCaul and Senator Ted Kruz most commonly traded GS. Ten politicians traded the stock, but 29 trades were sell orders, while only six transactions went towards buying the company shares.
10. Amazon
Last on the list is Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN), which is also a popular stock in both sell and buy directions. While it is on the list of most sold stocks by U.S. senators, many more orders were made to buy the stock in the previous months than to sell, with 29 buy transactions, made chiefly by Democrats, against 18 sell transactions, the majority coming from the Republican Party.
The bottom line
To sum up, that was a list of the top 10 stocks U.S. senators are selling in 2024. That said, while these trades can provide useful insights into politician stock trading, they should not be taken merely as a sign to abandon your positions in these companies. The economic context is much more nuanced and requires thought and careful observation of trading patterns and strategies of investor lawmakers.
Investors can obtain such insights using a tool like Finbold Signals. It allows them to track trading activities with real-time data and helps them devise more precise strategies that emulate the most successful Congressional stock traders.
Receive Signals on US Senators' Stock Trades
Stay up-to-date on the trading activity of US Senators. The signal triggers based on updates from the Senate disclosure reports, notifying you of their latest stock transactions.
Disclaimer: The content on this site should not be considered investment advice. Investing is speculative. When investing, your capital is at risk.
FAQs
Why should I track senator stock trading?
Tracking Congressional stock trading can give you insights into hotspot sectors and companies. As senators tend to have access to non-public information, their investments are potentially much more informed than those of retail investors.
How to track politician stock trading?
The STOCK Act requires members of Congress to disclose their trades worth over $1,000 within 45 days. You can find this information on the official EDGAR repository or via trackers like Finbold Signals, which provides real-time updates on political and insider trades.
Are senators allowed to trade stocks?
Yes, senators are allowed to trade stocks. However, they must disclose their transactions according to the STOCK Act. This legislation aims to prevent conflicts of interest and using private information for personal benefit by increasing transparency around their investments.
What stocks are U.S. senators selling in 2024?
In 2024, senators’ sell orders are centered on technology, sports, manufacturing, and financial sectors.
