Nancy Pelosi (D‑Calif.) is one of the most closely watched members of Congress because of the stock and options trades made by her husband. While she’s often noted for well‑timed buys, a recent disclosure shows one sale may have spared her from significant losses.
Pelosi’s PayPal Stock Sale
Pelosi’s latest stock disclosure showed the exercising of several options and the sale of some previously owned stocks.
The transactions, which can be tracked on Benzinga’s Government Trades page, show that Pelosi’s husband Paul Pelosi sold PayPal Holdings (NASDAQ:PYPL) shares back in December.
Here’s the trade:
- Dec. 30, 2025: Sold 5,000 shares of PayPal
The transaction was valued at between $250,000 and $500,000 according to the filing.
PayPal stock traded between $59.08 and $59.60 on Dec. 30, 2025. Based on the high price of shares on that day, the 5,000 shares were valued at $298,000.
Since then, the fintech company has seen its shares slump, with losses deepening steeply comes after reporting quarterly results and announcing a new CEO. The stock tumbled 20.3% on Tuesday and extended the decline on Wednesday, trading at $40.31 at the time of writing.
Had Pelosi held on to the shares, the holding would be worth $201,550. This means the Pelosis dodged a potential loss of $96,450, or 32.4%, by selling in December.
For comparison, Pelosi collects an annual salary of $174,000 as a member of Congress. The $92,600 loss avoided by Pelosi would have represented 55.4% of her annual salary.
Pelosi’s Trading History
Pelosi remains one of the most closely watched members of Congress for her household’s stock activity, but investors will soon need to look elsewhere. The former House Speaker has said she will not seek re‑election in 2026 and plans to leave Congress in 2027.
Her trades haven’t all been winners, though she consistently ranks among the top‑performing lawmakers based on annual gains and net‑worth growth. One notable miss was her early sale of Nvidia options — a move made under public pressure that ultimately cost her significant upside as the stock soared in later years.
While Pelosi’s timing on her recent PayPal sale helped her avoid deeper losses, the broader history of her PayPal trades suggests the stock hasn’t been a strong performer for her household.
A disclosure showed her husband exercising PayPal call options in January 2022 when shares traded between $163.30 and $172.96. She later reported selling shares in December 2022 at prices between $67.29 and $69.47. Despite limiting further downside, both PayPal transactions were likely unprofitable.
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