Stock traders are trying to beat the market — by copying lawmakers

Public polling shows most Americans don't think much of Congress. But some investors think lawmakers are doing one thing right — picking stocks — and this has prompted a whole new class of products to copy their trades.

Traders and market watchers are using publicly available data to track which lawmakers are reporting big stock market gains. They believe that information provides an edge on the market, and companies are selling access to tools that track those profitable lawmaker trades.