This trading bot buys stocks bought by US politicians; Here’s how it did in H1 2026

U.S. politicians have, by press time on June 29, 2026, not only been adamant about defending their right to trade in the stock market but have also proven to be exceptionally successful investors.

Indeed, the sheer number of Representatives and Senators who have been managing to reliably beat the market attracted significant suspicion that they might be acting on non-public information – especially given the trivial penalties for violating the STOCKS Act – but also drew a lot of attention from retail traders.

Perhaps the clearest showcases of both phenomena are in the form of the popular ‘Congress Buys’ and Congress Sells’ copy-trading portfolios, and have not disappointed their followers in the first half (H1) of 2026.

$1,000 invested in Congress’ long positions would be worth this much

Specifically, the ‘Congress Buys’ strategy seeks to trace the performance of equities purchased by U.S. politicians and their families based on mandatory disclosures and is weighted based on the sizes of the purchases and rebalanced weekly.

The portfolio boasts an impressive 37.30% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) and, even in the relatively underwhelming H1 2026 market, returned a respectable 27.75% year-to-date (YTD).

For comparison, the benchmark S&P 500 stock market index rose 7.24% within the same timeframe, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) is up 7.58%, and the Nasdaq-100 rallied 15.26% since 2026 started.

Under the circumstances, $1,000 invested in copying Congress’ buys would have led to a position worth $1,277.50 by press time on June 29, 2026. A purchase of the same size in one of the three indices would have led to a portfolio worth $1,072.40, $1,075.80, or $1,152.60, respectively.

$1,000 invested in Congress’ stock sales would be worth this much

Notably, wagering on the success of equities sold by Congress would not have been nearly as successful. Specifically, ‘Congress Sells,’ a copy-trading strategy that takes a long position in assets U.S. politicians have sold, is down 4.87% YTD.

Under the circumstances, $1,000 put in the strategy at the start of 2026 would have led to $48.70 in losses and a position worth $951.30.

Still, it is worth pointing out that even this strategy boasts a CAGR of 19.47%, arguably showing both that Representatives and Senators are not infallible investors but also the sheer decisiveness of the longest bull market on record.

Featured image via Shutterstock