A federal judge blocked Trump's executive order limiting mail voting on Thursday. The ruling will be appealed. None of this affects your portfolio. None of this ever will.
Retail traders spent the morning panic-searching "constitutional crisis stocks" and "how to invest in the judiciary." They found fourteen YouTube videos promising that Supreme Court rulings create alpha. They bought shares in Lockheed Martin because someone told them federal chaos is bullish for defense contractors. Lockheed makes fighter jets, not ballot boxes. Nobody cared.
The executive order attempted to limit mail voting. A judge said no. The administration will appeal. This process could take months. Your Tesla calls expire Friday. See the problem?
Imagine thinking the mechanics of how people vote in future elections would move stock prices today. Imagine checking the news about federal injunctions and thinking "this is valuable market information." Imagine being so desperate for an edge that you're reading judicial opinions instead of just admitting you're gambling on whether Jerome Powell smiles or frowns during his next press conference.
The headline says the ruling is "likely to be swiftly appealed." Swiftly in legal terms means six weeks minimum. You'll lose money on three different meme stocks before that appeal gets filed. You'll blow up your account twice before oral arguments. By the time the appellate court rules, you'll be explaining to your wife why the emergency fund is gone because you were certain that voting rights litigation would somehow make your SPY puts print.
Trump issued an order. A judge blocked it. Lawyers will argue. None of them own your calls.
Photo by Joshua Woroniecki on Unsplash
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