If congressional trades are worth following, why not just buy an ETF that does it automatically? That's the premise behind NANC and KRUZ — two ETFs launched in 2023 that mirror the stock picks of Democratic and Republican members of Congress. Here's an honest look at whether they're worth it.
What Are NANC and KRUZ?
Both ETFs were launched in February 2023 by Subversive Capital Advisor. They use STOCK Act periodic transaction reports to dynamically mirror what Congress members are buying and selling.
- NANC — tracks Democratic members. Heavy in tech: Nvidia (8.9%), Microsoft (8%), Amazon (5.2%). Named after Nancy Pelosi.
- KRUZ — tracks Republican members. More balanced: JPMorgan (4.3%), AT&T (2.9%), Comfort Systems (2.9%). Named after Ted Cruz.
Performance: Who's Winning?
NANC has significantly outperformed KRUZ since launch due to its heavy tech weighting. The Democratic ETF has returned around 44% since inception vs roughly 22% for KRUZ. However, in early 2026 NANC underperformed KRUZ by over 10 percentage points in a single quarter as tariff volatility hit tech stocks harder than industrials.
Neither ETF significantly outperforms the S&P 500 on a risk-adjusted basis — suggesting that while congressional trading patterns are interesting, they don't systematically beat the market once packaged into a passive vehicle.
ETF vs Real-Time Tracker: The Key Difference
The ETF approach has a fundamental problem: it's passive and delayed. By the time a congressional trade hits the STOCK Act database, gets processed by the ETF, and rebalances — you've lost any timing advantage the original trade might have had.
A real-time tracker is different. When a senator files a disclosure, you get an alert immediately. You decide what to do with that information. You're not paying 0.75%+ in annual fees for a fund manager to do it slowly on your behalf.
Pros and Cons at a Glance
NANC/KRUZ ETF
- Fully passive — no effort required
- Diversified across 500+ stocks
- Available in any brokerage account
- Annual fee: ~0.75%
- No timing advantage — delayed rebalancing
- You can't select individual politicians to follow
Real-Time Congressional Tracker
- Alerts within minutes of a new disclosure
- You choose which politicians to watch
- Full context: stock, amount, date, filing delay
- €10/month flat — cheaper than ETF fees on larger portfolios
- Requires your own decision-making
Which Approach Is Right for You?
If you want zero effort and broad exposure to congressional trading patterns — NANC is the simpler choice. If you want to act on specific trades from specific politicians in real time — a tracker gives you information the ETF can never provide.
Most serious investors use both: the ETF for passive exposure, the tracker for active signals. Start with the 7-day free trial and see what you'd have received last month.