Whether by an unusual concentration of stock trading talent or through the use of insider information – as some, including the ‘Wolf of Wall Street’ Jordan Belfort, have suggested – U.S. politicians are well-known for their highly lucrative and well-timed investments.
While not the most successful trader in Congress, Nancy Pelosi is, arguably, the most infamous thanks to the timing of her many investments and to prominence arising from her time as the Speaker of the House.
One of the most contentious trades Representative Pelosi has made in her career – through her husband, Paul – has been her purchase of a large number of call options for the semiconductor giant Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) on November 22.
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How much did Representative Pelosi make on Nvidia?
The investment was disclosed as ranging between $1 million and $5 million, and the options themselves have a strike price of $120, making Pelosi’s precise profit difficult to gauge.
Despite this, by January 25, the Representative was reported to have earned $700,000 by exercising the options as NVDA stock rose approximately $140 from its November 22 price, effectively tripling Nancy Pelosi’s annual salary within two months.
Nvidia shares have only continued surging since, and between the time Representative Pelosi made her investment and the market’s close on February 29, they rose 63.99% to $791.12.
NVDA stock price chart
Indeed, Nvidia has been one of the best-performing stocks in the U.S. for well over a year. In the last 52 weeks, NVDA rose a staggering 248.54%, and the first two months of 2024 already saw the blue-chip chipmaker gain another 64.24%.
Nvidia’s stock market performance is equally strong in the short term as the company is in the green in the last 30 days – 25.52% – and the last 24 hours – 1.87%. NVDA shares did, however, record a slight decline in the last full week of trading, and the semiconductor giant fell 2.07% in the time frame.
A major reason behind Nvidia’s staggering rise has been its pivotal role as the biggest hardware supplier of the ongoing artificial intelligence (AI) boom, as well as its overall dominance in the semiconductor industry.
Additionally, while its prospects were dimmed late in 2023 with new high-end chip export restrictions, the company resolved the issue by January as the firm reached a compromise agreement with the U.S. government, allowing it to continue shipping to China, allowing it to continue its stock market surge.
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Disclaimer: The content on this site should not be considered investment advice. Investing is speculative. When investing, your capital is at risk.
