logo
episode-header-image
Mar 2025
13m 19s

Does It Pay to Copy Congress' Stock Trad...

MORNINGSTAR
About this episode

Zach Evens, a passive strategies analyst for Morningstar Research Services, discusses two ETFs that use data from Unusual Whales to track congressional stock trades. He explains why investors might be drawn to these funds and the potential risks that they face.

Key Takeaways:

Why Investors May Want to Follow Congressional Stock Trades

Are Members of Congress Good at Picking Stocks?

The Firms Behind the ETFs: Subversive Capital and Unusual Whales

Limitations of the Data on Congressional Stock Trades

How Democrats and Republicans Invest Differently

Both the Democratic and Republican ETFs Favor Tech Stocks

How Outsize Tech Exposure Has Affected the Performance of These ETFs

Why Investors Face Concentration Risk With Thematic Funds Like Congressional ETFs

Why the ‘Black Box’ of Congress’ Investing Strategy Is Risky for Investors

Key Takeaways on Investing in Congressional ETFs
 

What's next is now at the Morningstar Investment Conference. Register now to get to the source for cutting-edge research, expert insights, and thorough analysis. Click here to register

 

Read about topics from this episode.  

The 2 ETFs That Track Congressional Stock Trades

Morningstar’s Guide to ETF Investing

An Investor’s Guide to the Next Trump Administration

The Big Shortfall: Understanding the gap in thematic funds

The Best Tech Stocks to Buy
Are Stock Investors in for Another Tech Wreck?

What Trump’s Trade Wars Could Mean for the Global Economy and Markets
6 ETF Investing Predictions for 2025
 

What to watch from Morningstar.

Can Healthcare Stocks Keep Outperforming the Market?

Worried About a Market Sell-Off? These 10 Funds Reduce Portfolio Risk 
Gray Divorce: How to Avoid Triggering a Costly Tax Bill

Why the Bond Market Looks Brighter Than It Did in 2022

 

Read what our team is writing:

Zachary Evens

Margaret Giles

 

Follow us on social media.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MorningstarInc/

X: https://x.com/MorningstarInc

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/morningstar... 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/5161/

 

Up next
Oct 3
How Inflation, AI, and Budget Battles Will Shape the Stock Market in Q4
Investors’ exuberance is fueling this year’s stock rally, but will key economic risks dampen the market’s mood? The current bull run has lifted stocks from their springtime lows to higher levels in autumn. The artificial intelligence boom is one of the big factors driving it. Mea ... Show More
23m 33s
Sep 26
Is Your Dividend Income at Risk? Here’s How to Spot Dividend Traps
It might be tempting to buy dividend stocks with the highest yields, but not all dividend payers are safe. Those big payouts could be signaling that a company’s fundamentals are cracking. Looming financial risks could wreak havoc on income-focused investors’ portfolios. But there ... Show More
14m 49s
Sep 19
Should You Hold Cash Investments After the Fed Cuts Interest Rates?
There’s a tug-of-war between investing in cash and long duration bonds in today’s interest environment. The longer-end of the yield curve may look more appealing since anticipation is building about interest rate cuts. Morningstar’s economics team and market watchers are predicti ... Show More
18m 26s
Recommended Episodes
Sep 8
JPMorgan Trading Desk Warns Fed Rate Cut Risks Tanking Stocks
Watch Carol and Tim LIVE every day on YouTube: http://bit.ly/3vTiACF. US stocks have been on a tear, setting more than 20 all-time highs this year, but the Federal Reserve’s next move threatens to curb investors’ zeal, JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s trading desk warns. “This current bull ... Show More
38m 44s
Oct 2024
10-9-24 Markets Rally - What Tuesdays' Tech Stock Surge Means For Investors
The Trauma of Hurricanes revisited: Hurricane Alicia (1983) remembered as Hurricane Milton bears down on Florida today; Lance shares his bizzare dream about aliens refuting Flat-earthers; why high interest rates are unsustainable. Fed rate cuts don't mean rates will go straight d ... Show More
46m 39s
Apr 2025
Musk Mulls Next Move as Stocks Swing Again
Watch Carol and Tim LIVE every day on YouTube: http://bit.ly/3vTiACF. Tesla Inc.’s stock extended losses Monday, dropping below a price at which Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick predicted they’d never fall to again.The shares plunged as much as 9.2% to $217.41 as of 9:41 a.m. in ... Show More
29m 48s
Jan 2024
Michael Howell: Federal Reserve Continues To Inject Liquidity Into Markets Via The Backdoor
Michaell Howell, CEO of CrossBorder Capital, returns to Forward Guidance to update viewers on his outlook on global liquidity. Howell notes that further evidence supports his long-held view that liquidity bottomed in October 2022, and he explains why he expects liquidity to stren ... Show More
1h 17m
Sep 2023
Wave of U.S. Treasury Issuance Puts Pressure On Bond Market | Prometheus Macro
On todays episode, Aahan Menon Founder of Prometheus Research joins the show for a discussion on his current macro outlook looking at the economy, growth, markets & liquidity. With a wave of U.S Treasury issuance on the horizon, Aahan explains why he now sees a perfect opportunit ... Show More
1h 2m
Jul 2024
7-24-24 How To Invest - Or Not - In A Presidential Election
Lance Roberts provides a preview of Q2 GDP results, Temp hiring is tapering, and rising credit card delinquencies (because of unemployment) suggesting economic stress. A three year experiment in Universal Basic Income is an epic failure. Google earnings beat estimates, but YouTub ... Show More
46m 9s
Jul 17
How Nvidia's size is rewriting the market playbook
Nvidia’s (NVDA) explosive growth is doing more than lifting portfolios - it’s changing the whole market. In this episode of Stocks in Translation, Strategas Securities senior ETF and technical strategist Todd Sohn joins host Jared Blikre and Producer Sydnee Fried to discuss excha ... Show More
24m 30s
Apr 2025
Stocks Suffer Worst Meltdown Since Covid
Watch Carol and Tim LIVE every day on YouTube: http://bit.ly/3vTiACF. In every corner of the financial markets, from stocks to bonds to commodities, investors sent Donald Trump the same unmistakable message: The trade war he unleashed is threatening to set off a worldwide recessi ... Show More
46m 12s
Feb 2025
Can Trump, Bessent, & DOGE Drive Long Bond Yields Lower? | Weekly Roundup
This week, we discuss the possibility of the market discounting Trump, Bessent, & DOGE success, the market implications of the Treasury QRA, and whether the manufacturing uptick is tariff front-running or the beginning of a new boom. We also delve into the state of the crypto mar ... Show More
51m 14s