Senators as Investors

[pantom]

…or, to the victor goes the spoils.
Prima facie evidence, IMO, of corruption, venality, and why politicians rate somewhere below pimps and above lawyers:

Beat the Market: Track Your Senator’s Portfolio

American politicians should be trusted - at least when it comes to picking promising shares. A study of US Senators’ personal stock portfolios has found that they outperformed the market by an average of 12 per cent a year in the five years to 1998…
There was no difference in performance between Democrats and Republicans…
The study notes that politicians’ timing of transactions is uncanny. Most stocks bought by senators showed little movement before the purchase, but after purchase they outperformed the market by 28.6 per cent on average the following calendar year.

Hillary, obviously, isn’t the only one who knows how to play the market well.
I think Martha ought to have a few cellmates, assuming she’s found guilty.

[OtakuLoki]

I wish I could say I were surprised.

[C_K_Dexter_Haven]

Not to worry. If there’s anything untoward going on, feel confident that there will be a full and impartial investigation by the U.S. Senate.

[hawthorne]

Is 12% a lot? Is it, given the volatility of equity markets of this period, significantly different from zero? This maybe something, maybe nothing.

[Cheesesteak]

@hawthorne

Is 12% a lot?

Well, considering that stock markets historically earn only about 12%, beating the markets by 12% is a WHOLE lot. Corporate insiders (executives) beat the market by about 5%, from the story.