The 45-day disclosure lag, explained
Why you're always seeing congressional trades weeks after they happened.
Every figure Congress Watch publishes carries the same asterisk: it is disclosed up to about 45 days late. Understanding that lag is essential to using the data well.
Where the lag comes from
The STOCK Act requires a member to file a Periodic Transaction Report within 30 days of being notified of a trade and no later than 45 days after the transaction. So by the time a trade is public, it may already be six weeks old.
What it means for you
- You are following patterns, not live trades. A member's disclosed purchase is history by the time you read it.
- It is not front-running. You cannot act on these disclosures in real time, because they are not real-time.
- The value is in the pattern over time — which members consistently trade which sectors, and where clusters (herd signals) form.
How we handle it
We note the lag on every page and never present disclosed trades as today's news. See Methodology for how we date and frame everything.
Public disclosures — not financial advice.
Why are congressional stock trades reported so late?
The STOCK Act gives members up to 30 days from notification and 45 days from the trade to file, so disclosures can be weeks old when published.
Can I copy congressional trades in real time?
No. Because of the disclosure lag, you are always seeing past trades, not live ones. The data is for spotting patterns, not real-time copying.