
The Nancy Pelosi Stock Tracker has become one of the most talked-about tools in political investing, blending public accountability with eye-catching market performance. On the surface, it’s a way to follow the trades disclosed under the STOCK Act. In reality, it’s a lightning rod for debates about ethics in Congress, the role of public data in financial markets, and the surprising profitability of tracking politicians’ portfolios.
In this article, we’ll explore:
- What the Pelosi Stock Tracker is and how it works
- Performance history and notable trades
- Why it attracts both retail investors and critics
- The intersection of ethics, transparency, and investing
- A fresh perspective: the tracker as both a market signal and a reform driver
What Is the Nancy Pelosi Stock Tracker?
The Nancy Pelosi Stock Tracker is a platform or portfolio that follows the publicly disclosed trades of Pelosi’s household — primarily those of Paul Pelosi, her husband. These disclosures are mandated by the STOCK Act of 2012, which requires members of Congress to report any stock trades over $1,000 within 30 to 45 days.
The data is collected from official filings, analyzed, and then presented to investors in formats such as:
- Public dashboards on financial tracking sites
- Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) like NANC (tracking Democratic lawmakers) and KRUZ (tracking Republicans)
- Automated trading apps like Autopilot, which mirror trades in real time
For many, the tracker is more than a curiosity — it’s a way to piggyback on decisions made by a household deeply connected to political and economic developments.
Performance That Turned Heads
In 2024, Pelosi’s stock tracker delivered a 54% annual gain, according to Autopilot. This wasn’t just a good year — it outperformed almost every hedge fund and even beat the Inverse Cramer Tracker (which gained 43% that year).
Here’s how that stacked up against top hedge funds:
Fund/Tracker | 2024 Return |
Pelosi Tracker | 54% |
Inverse Cramer Tracker | 43% |
Light Street Capital | 59.4% |
Discovery Capital | 52% |
D.E. Shaw – Oculus | 36.1% |
Hedge fund industry average | 10.7% |
Example: A $10,000 investment tracking Pelosi’s disclosed trades at the start of 2024 would have grown to about $15,400 by year-end — without any leverage.
Notable Recent Trades
The Pelosi Tracker’s appeal also lies in the size and timing of certain trades. Here are some noteworthy examples from 2024–2025:
Date Disclosed | Trade Type | Company | Amount | Return to Date |
Jul 10, 2025 | Buy | Broadcom (AVGO) | $1M–$5M | +25.1% |
Jan 20, 2025 | Buy | TEM | $50K–$100K | +108.4% |
Jan 20, 2025 | Sell | Apple (AAPL) | $5M–$25M | -8.3% |
Jan 20, 2025 | Buy | Nvidia (NVDA) | $500K–$1M (various) | +36% to +39% |
Jan 20, 2025 | Buy | Vistra (VST) | $500K–$1M | +22.9% |
Jan 20, 2025 | Buy | Palo Alto Networks (PANW) | $1M–$5M | -6.1% |
The average return of her most recent trades: +28.4%.
Why Investors Follow the Pelosi Tracker
1. Political Insight as a Market Signal
As Speaker Emerita of the U.S. House, Pelosi influenced legislative priorities and had a deep understanding of policy impact on industries. Even without insider trading, timely knowledge of upcoming votes or sectoral shifts could make her household’s portfolio positioning more strategic than average.
2. Demonstrated Outperformance
The consistent returns — even in volatile years — have led some investors to see the tracker as a quasi-hedge fund model, but without the fees.
3. Cultural Buzz and Accessibility
From finance TikTok videos to news headlines, the Pelosi Tracker has gained pop-culture status. Platforms like Autopilot have lowered the barrier for retail investors, allowing anyone to mirror trades with as little as $1,000.
The Autopilot Factor
One of the most influential Pelosi-tracking tools today is Autopilot, an app with over $400 million in client assets linked to Pelosi trades. Users connect their brokerage accounts, and the app automatically replicates disclosed trades.
Case in point: JD Scholten, an Iowa state legislator and U.S. Senate candidate, put $1,000 into the tracker in early 2024 — “partly as a joke.” By mid-2025, his account was worth $1,617.25 — a 60% gain. Despite the profit, Scholten supports banning congressional stock trading, illustrating the paradox: the tracker can be profitable and still raise ethical concerns.
Ethics and Criticism
The STOCK Act was meant to prevent insider trading and boost transparency. Critics argue it’s done the opposite — by publishing trades that can then be copied for profit, it has effectively created a roadmap for politically inspired investing.
Key criticisms include:
- Potential conflicts of interest: Lawmakers (or their spouses) could benefit from non-public legislative information.
- Delay loopholes: 30–45 day reporting windows allow trades to be made and gain before public disclosure.
- Perception problem: Even if no laws are broken, public trust erodes.
Reform Proposals
Reform pressure is mounting, with bills like the ETHICS Act proposing to ban lawmakers and their families from owning individual stocks. Suggested reforms also include:
- Same-day disclosure of trades
- Independent oversight of congressional portfolios
- Mandatory blind trusts for elected officials
Supporters believe such measures would rebuild trust, while opponents argue it could deter qualified people from entering public service.
The Tracker as a Public Accountability Tool
While most coverage frames the Pelosi Stock Tracker as a profit engine or an ethics problem, there’s another angle worth considering:
The tracker functions as a public audit trail. By making financial activity traceable, analyzable, and replicable, it creates:
- Transparency pressure: High-profile returns invite scrutiny into timing, motives, and beneficiaries.
- Market democratization: Retail investors can access the same timing advantages as politically connected insiders — at least in theory.
- Evidence for reform: Performance data can serve as empirical proof for why congressional trading rules need tightening.
In other words, the tracker isn’t just a money-making tool — it’s a mirror held up to Congress.
Final Thoughts
The Nancy Pelosi Stock Tracker sits in a strange but fascinating space — part investment strategy, part political watchdog. It thrives because of the very transparency rules meant to limit insider advantage, and it forces a conversation about whether we want lawmakers’ trades to be public, prohibited, or both.
Until reforms take hold, tools like Autopilot, NANC, and Unusual Whales will keep turning congressional disclosures into tradeable strategies — and the Pelosi Tracker will remain the most famous of them all.
Quick Stats Recap
Metric | Value |
2024 Pelosi Tracker Return | 54% |
Average Recent Trade Return | +28.4% |
Autopilot Assets Following Pelosi Trades | $400M+ |
Largest Single Trade 2025 | $5M–$25M (AAPL sale) |
JD Scholten’s Return | +60% in ~18 months |
FAQs
- Does Nancy Pelosi personally trade stocks?
No. Pelosi has stated she does not own individual stocks; the trades tracked are primarily made by her husband, Paul Pelosi. - Is following the Pelosi Tracker legal?
Yes. All data is sourced from public STOCK Act disclosures, which anyone can access. - How quickly are trades updated in the tracker?
Most platforms update daily, but disclosures can be up to 45 days after the trade is made. - Can the Pelosi Tracker guarantee profits?
No. Past performance — even at 54% annual gains — does not guarantee future returns. - What’s the main criticism of the tracker?
That it highlights a structural ethics problem in Congress, where even publicly reported trades may reflect unfair informational advantages.