How to use CongressFlows

CongressFlows collects and analyzes the stock trades of U.S. Congress members (both senators and representatives). Thanks to the STOCK Act of 2012, members of Congress are required to publicly disclose their stock purchases and sales within 45 days. This webapp takes that public data, organizes it, and analyzes it so that any retail investor can easily see what the people who pass the laws affecting the markets are buying and selling.

Congress members have access to privileged information: they attend classified briefings, serve on committees that regulate specific industries, and know in advance about legislation that could affect entire sectors. Several academic studies have shown that, on average, congressional portfolios consistently outperform the S&P 500. The point is not to blindly copy their trades, but to use this information as one more signal in your analysis. Example: if a senator on the Defense Committee buys shares in a military contractor, it could signal an upcoming contract or budget increase.

The main page shows a real-time feed of the latest disclosed trades. Each card displays: • The asset ticker (e.g. AAPL, MSFT) • Whether it was a buy or sell (green = buy, red = sell) • The congress member's name and political party • The transaction amount range (official data comes in ranges, not exact amounts) • How long ago the trade was made You can filter by ticker, politician name, party (Democrat/Republican), chamber (Senate/House), transaction type, and time period.

This is CongressFlows' most powerful feature. The engine automatically analyzes all trades from the last 30 days and detects when multiple congress members are buying (or selling) the same asset. How the scoring works: • Unique politicians: more politicians trading the same asset = higher confidence • Volume: larger trades carry more weight • Bipartisanship: if members from both parties buy the same asset, the signal is stronger (it's not about politics, it's about conviction) • Recency: trades from the last 7 days receive a bonus • Relevant committee: if a member of the Energy Committee buys an oil stock, the signal is reinforced Signals are classified as bullish (majority buys) or bearish (majority sells), with a confidence score from 0 to 100.

In the Politicians section you can explore a ranking of the most active traders in Congress. For each one you'll see: • Total number of trades • Different assets traded • Estimated total volume • Their party and chamber Clicking on a politician takes you to their full profile with their complete trade history and most traded assets. This allows you to identify the "best investors" in Congress and follow their moves.

Clicking on any ticker takes you to a detailed asset view where you can see: • All congress members who have traded it • Buying pressure vs selling pressure (buys vs sells count) • Estimated total volume for each side • The complete trade timeline This is especially useful for evaluating a stock you already hold or are considering buying: if several congress members are accumulating it, it may reinforce your investment thesis.

There are several things to keep in mind: • Available data: every day the platform automatically downloads the 100 most recent House trades and the 100 most recent Senate trades. The database accumulates history day by day, so the longer the platform has been active, the more complete the dataset becomes • Up to 45-day delay: congress members have up to 45 days to disclose their trades, so the information is not real-time • Amount ranges: exact amounts are not disclosed, only ranges (e.g. between $1,001 and $15,000) • Not financial advice: this tool is informational only. Congressional trades are one signal among many, not a buy or sell recommendation • Personal reasons: a sale doesn't always mean the asset will drop; it could be for liquidity needs, diversification, etc. Official sources: House Clerk (disclosures-clerk.house.gov) and Senate Financial Disclosures (efdsearch.senate.gov).