Congress: The Biggest Trades Impacting Markets Today

Key Points

• Congress bought stocks over the summer, and the message is clear: big tech and AI are well-positioned to drive shareholder value.
• NVIDIA is the most bought stock, but names like Microsoft, Amazon, Google, and Advanced Micro Devices were also purchased.
• Palantir emerged as a congressional favorite, spelling doom for Big Bear AI investors. 

Congress members are at it again. They are trading stocks, and the data is more than suggestive.

Assuming this influential group of legislators has an inside edge, stocks like NVIDIA NASDAQ: NVDA and other tech leaders are on track to move higher in 2025 and in the longer term.

Congress Bets Big on NVIDIA, AI, and Big Tech

When it comes to the group as a whole, NVIDIA is by far the most bought stock. 

MarketBeat tracked 53 purchases by 12 members in the 180 days leading up to mid-September, with most of the activity in the preceding 90-day period.

In total, Congress bought an estimated $6.6 million worth of NVIDIA shares—a small portion relative to the whole but a significant stake for this group.

The takeaway is that NVIDIA is cemented as the AI leader. AI is the driving force of technology today, starting with the infrastructure and software to use it, which mostly comes from NVIDIA. Regarding congressional interest, purchases were bipartisan, including independent members and members of both houses. 

However, the most significant purchases were made by Democratic Representative Cleo Fields of Louisiana, who is a House Financial Services Committee member and serves on the Capital Markets and Monetary Policy sub-committees. 

Rep. Fields bought NVIDIA shares numerous times, with purchases listed in the $15,000 to $50,000, $50,000 to $100,000, and $100,000 to $250,000 ranges, mainly in June and July, just after NVIDIA’s FQ1 earnings report and the reopening of China as an AI end-market.

But he did not limit his buying to NVIDIA. Rep. Fields made numerous purchases of other Magnificent Seven names, including Microsoft NASDAQ: MSFT, Amazon NASDAQ: AMZN, Google NASDAQ: GOOGL, and Meta Platforms NASDAQ: META. His bets on these AI giants ran in the $500K to $1 million range, he also made smaller purchases in second-wave AI companies like Broadcom NASDAQ: AVGO, Apple NASDAQ: AAPL, and Advanced Micro Devices NASDAQ: AMD.

However, the takeaway is clear: big tech and those establishing themselves as critical to AI, which were also bought heavily by other Congress members, are good buys in 2025. 

Congress Chooses Palantir, Shows No Love for BigBear.ai

Palantir NASDAQ: PLTR is another tech stock loved by Congress.

Over the same 180-day period, six members—including Rep. Fields—made 13 Palantir trades totaling nearly $500,000. 

Palatir is an interesting choice due to its government-focused business, expanding services, and the government's lean toward modernization, efficiency, and AI.

The purchases affirm a rapidly brightening outlook for the company’s growth, which is potentially bad news for BigBear.ai NYSE: BBAI investors. BigBear.ai is seemingly well-positioned as a Palantir competitor, but it has no support from Congress. 

The analysts covering Big Bear AI are also bullish. Still, the coverage is tepid, with only four rating the stock, and two of them are pegged at Hold. Recent activity has revealed downgrades and price target reductions.

Conversely, Palantir analysts are less bullish at face value, giving the stock a consensus Hold rating. But the trends are far stronger, including increased coverage, firming sentiment, and a rising price target with recent revisions leading to new highs near $200. 

Congress: The Most Sold Stocks from Summer 2025 Are…

There is a flipside to every coin, and in this case, that means Congressional stock selling. Interestingly, many of the Most Bought Stocks, including NVIDIA, Microsoft, Amazon, and Google, are among the top five or ten Most Sold. The takeaway is that the bipartisan selling is far less than the buying, leaving Congress in a posture of accumulation as the summer comes to a close.