You might want to not make statements as if they are fact when they are so easily checked.
Not only did hedge funds beat that return, the markets as a whole came pretty close to doing that.
S&P on Dec of 2002 - 879.82 - If you had $10,000 invested in just 4 years by Dec of 2006 you would have $17,088.
Then if we simply look at mutual funds and not even hedge funds we see that for the 4 years from 2001 to 2004 at least ten had over 100% returns and two of them saw over 200% return (tripled) in that 4 years.
CSF had the highest return between 2001 and 2004 by a major index or ETF, returning 271.4%.
www.statmuse.com
Then if we go to 2008-2011 we see something that you seem to think could never happen. A return of over 96 million percent for that four year period. Once again over ten mutual funds would have more than doubled your money in that time period.
ERX had the highest return between 2008 and 2011 by a major index or ETF, returning 96,434,600%.
www.statmuse.com
View attachment 65922
From 2009-2010, at least 25 funds would have more than doubled your money in only 2 years after the 2008 housing crisis.
Oh, look, the fact-checker from the discount aisle is back with his cherry-picked StatMuse screenshots and a whole lot of nothing. You just hit on a subject from the peak of my early politican obsession combined with a subject I know well, so I thought I'd take a minute to school you and your pathetic attempt to pretend you know a damn thing about it. So, since you're so eager to 'check facts,' let's dismantle this amateur hour performance and show why it's even dumber than it looks.
First, your S&P 500 example from Dec 2002 (879.82) to Dec 2006: $10k turns into $17,088? That's a ~70.88% total return over four years, or about 14.5% annualized. Solid bull market run, sure. But here's the rub, genius: congressional portfolios during that exact stretch (2004-2008 data, overlapping your window weren't matching the broad market, they were crushing it, with House members averaging +21% annually and senators at +12% annually, per the Ziobrowski studies that kicked off the whole STOCK Act scandal. That's not 'pretty close to the market', that's beating it by 6-7% a year on average, year after year, with uncanny timing around briefings on housing bubbles and bailouts. Random chance? Please. Even your own 'reform' era (post-2008) saw Pelosi's crew posting double-digit outperformance while the S&P clawed back from -38% in '08.
Now, your 'mutual funds' gotcha: Yeah, a handful of hyper-specialized funds (like CSF at 271% total 2001-2004) tripled money, cherry-picked outliers in a niche sector (energy/tech recovery plays) that any pro could spot with a Bloomberg terminal. But the average mutual fund? Try -2.5% annualized over that dot-com hangover period, while the S&P eked out ~1-2%. Congress? Still +6-12% annually, without needing a crystal ball beyond their classified intel. And that ERX '96 million percent' from 2008-2011? Cute, it's a 2x leveraged energy bull ETF that launched in Nov 2008, right as oil cratered to $30/barrel before rebounding to $100+ by 2011 on the recovery wave. Total return ~96,000%? Bullshit exaggeration, actual data shows ERX up ~2,500-3,000% total (still insane, but because it's leveraged volatility porn, not 'normal' investing).
Meanwhile, the S&P was up ~80% total (-20% in '08, then +26%, +15%, +13%). Congress? +20-30% annualized in that window, check Unusual Whales and post-STOCK disclosures, with trades timed perfectly around TARP votes and Fed whispers. Not 'impossible,' just insidr magic no retail schmuck gets.
And 2009-2010? '25 funds doubled money in 2 years? Again, outliers like gold/minerals plays (up 100-200% on post-crash fear trades), but the average equity mutual fund returned ~25-30% total (S&P +50% in '09 alone). Congress? Outperformed by 10-15%, with zero risk of picking losers because they knew which banks were getting bailed.
You're not 'checking facts', you're dodging them with edge cases while ignoring the core point: Congress routinely beats the average investor (and often the market) because they trade on non-public info that's illegal for you or me. The STOCK Act was a sham fx they half-assed and gutted, and Pelosi's still at it today with +100% portfolio pops in '24 while the S&P grinds +25%.
Keep Googling those cherry-picked outliers to feel better, dumbass. The rest of us see your bullshit plain as day. What’s your next deflection, comparing Congress to lottery winners who just got lucky?
I could’ve just called you a moron and kept scrolling, but believe it or not, this was way more fun. Took me straight back to decades ago when I lived and breathed politics, back when my eyes finally snapped wide open to the obscene corruption baked into a system where 536 people get to carve up trillions of dollars every year like it’s their personal piggy bank.
Thanks for the trip down memory lane. Your arrogance and ignorance just made my whole morning.