Lawmakers get nearly 50% stock-picking boost after joining leadership, study finds

Published December 3, 2025 7:00am ET



Members of congressional leadership far outperform other lawmakers in picking stocks, according to new research that could boost efforts to curb stock trading on Capitol Hill.

The research, circulated this week by the National Bureau of Economic Research, used transaction-level data to track the stock trades of members. It found that lawmakers outperform their peers by a whopping 47% annually after entering leadership.

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