Officials' Stock Trades
Senior officials in the executive branch, from the President and cabinet secretaries to agency heads, must report their stock trades within 45 days, like members of Congress. Here are those reports, read and explained.
The first reports will appear after the next update.
From OGE Form 278-T reports published by the U.S. Office of Government Ethics and on whitehouse.gov. Amounts are ranges, as on the form. "Since" is the stock's change from the week of the trade to the latest weekly price; it is not the official's profit. Under 5 U.S.C. § 13107(c) these reports may not be used for commercial purposes, credit decisions or soliciting money; WallStPal publishes them free for the public.
Examples
- Cabinet secretaries usually sell most of their stocks when they join the government, under an ethics agreement. Their 278-T reports often show those sales.
- A purchase by an official who oversees an industry, such as a defense official buying a defense stock, is the kind of trade ethics rules watch closely.
About this page
WallStPal explains public SEC filings and congressional stock trade reports in plain English. Nothing is for sale; the site is free and supported by ads.
How to read it
- Form 4
- The form a company insider (officer, director or owner of more than 10%) must file with the SEC within two business days of buying or selling the company's shares.
- 13F
- A quarterly list of U.S. stocks held by an investment manager with more than $100 million, filed within 45 days after each quarter ends.
- STOCK Act
- A 2012 law that requires members of Congress to report stock trades by themselves, a spouse or a dependent child within 45 days.
A real example
In January 2016, when bank stocks were falling, JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon bought 500,000 JPMorgan shares with his own money, worth about $26 million. His Form 4 made the purchase public within days, and investors read it as a strong sign of confidence.
Explain it like I'm 13
We read the long, boring forms that grown-ups file with the government and tell you what they say in normal words.
Data from public SEC filings and congressional reports. Information, not investment advice. Check every number against the filing linked on the page.