What Congress Traded in 2021

Lawmakers engaged in less trading of company stocks in 2021 in contrast to 2020, possibly due to increased scrutiny on this questionable practice. However, they continue to actively engage in buying and selling, which may raise concerns about potential conflicts of interest between their private financial activities and their public influence over regulations and policies. Furthermore, based on official disclosures compiled by researchers at Capitol Trades for DealBook, lawmakers are increasing their activity in options and crypto.

According to the estimates provided in these disclosures, politicians and their immediate families bought assets worth $267 million and sold assets worth $364 million in 2021, both lower than the levels witnessed in 2020 despite markets experiencing a rise. About 60% of these trades involved company stocks, while the remaining trades were split among various assets such as funds, bonds, etc. Republicans purchased $100 million worth of stocks in 2021, whereas Democrats bought $75 million worth, as reported by the average of the ranges that lawmakers disclosed in their filings.