US Congress to adopt ‘insider trading’ ban

Legislation would forbid politicians from using information from government meetings to play stock markets.

congress

A bill first put forward five years ago to stop United States politicians from trading inside information is closer to becoming law.

Congress is looking at a new, tougher law to block senators and its members from using information picked up in committees, reports and briefings to play the stock market – essentially insider trading.

Data shows that nearly 1,536 members of Congress outperform the stock market by about six to 10 per cent on a regular basis. But that may soon be a thing of the past.

Al Jazeera’s Alan Fisher reports from Washington.