Pelosi Adds More Calls: Is Options Trading Gambling or Investing?
Some argue that options trading is inherently risky, especially for beginners who lack a clear understanding of how it works. For them, venturing into options without proper knowledge is akin to gambling.
However, for Nancy Pelosi, options may well represent long-term investments.
Take her most recent disclosures on January 17, for example.
She executed in-the-money call options on several tech stocks.
She purchased:
- 50 $Alphabet(GOOG)$ $150 1/16/26 calls
- Exercised her 500 $NVIDIA(NVDA)$ calls (purchased 50,000 shares)
- Exercised her 140 $Palo Alto Networks(PANW)$ calls (purchased 14,000 shares)
- 50 $Tempus AI(TEM)$ $20 1/16/26 calls (NEW HOLDING)
- 50 $Vistra Energy Corp.(VST)$ $50 1/16/26 calls (NEW HOLDING)
She sold:
- 31,600 $Apple(AAPL)$ shares (she has 49,200 left) - 10,000 $NVIDIA(NVDA)$ shares (she has 60,000 left)
These call options had strike prices significantly below the market price at the time, with expiration dates set for January 16, 2026. This demonstrates Pelosi's confidence in the long-term growth potential of these companies. By using leverage without the risk of margin calls, she effectively increases capital efficiency and boosts returns—aligning with long-term investment principles.
However, a well-known YouTuber and Tesla enthusiast, Jason DeBolt, holds a different view.
Jason, who went all-in on $Tesla Motors(TSLA)$ back in 2013, became famous for selling his house to invest in Tesla stock. When others criticized him, accusing him of gambling, he argued that he committed the funds with a minimum seven-year horizon, which he considers long-term investing—not gambling.
Interestingly, this bold Tesla bull believes that options trading is gambling.
So why do opinions on options trading vary so widely?
Is options trading inherently gambling, or can it be an investment depending on how it's approached?
What’s your take?
Leave your comments and also post to win tiger coins~
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Some argue that options trading is inherently risky, especially for beginners who lack a clear understanding of how it works. For them, venturing into options without proper knowledge is akin to gambling.
However, for Nancy Pelosi, options may well represent long-term investments.
@HelenJanet @Shyon @Aqa @LMSunshine @koolgal @rL @GoodLife99 @Universe宇宙 @SPACE ROCKET @TigerGPT
So why do opinions on options trading vary so widely?
Is options trading inherently gambling, or can it be an investment depending on how it's approached?
What’s your take?
Leave your comments and also post to win tiger coins~
🌟🌟🌟期权交易是积累财富的非常有效的工具....有一个免责声明，那就是如果你知道怎么做。
南希·佩洛西在她的交易中表现出了相当大的技巧和信心，尤其是在长期到期日的期权方面。她通过交易赚的钱远远超过了她在国会时的工资。
因此，要成为一名成功的期权交易者，拥有知识和技能至关重要。
有了老虎证券，我可以先通过向老虎社区的许多专家交易者学习来练习和磨练我的技能，比如@ZEROHERO @Optionspuppy @TigerOptions 加上老师们喜欢@Tiger_Academy .在进行实时交易之前，我会先尝试纸上交易。
2025年是我学习新技能的一年，期权交易当然也在我的待办事项清单上。
在此祝愿我所有亲爱的老虎朋友和老虎证券辛勤工作的员工@Tiger_comments @Daily_Discussion @TigerStars @CaptainTiger @TigerClub @Tiger_SG @TigerTradingNotes 一个快乐、健康、繁荣的农历新年。
对我来说，期权交易本质上并不是赌博。如果采用适当的知识、风险管理和长期视角，这可能是提高回报的有力方法。例如，深度价内看涨期权可以提供杠杆，而没有保证金交易的风险。然而，对于那些不了解期权就交易期权的人来说，这很容易成为投机而不是投资。
归根结底，关键的区别在于它们的使用方式——就像股票、房地产或任何其他资产类别一样。
深思熟虑的策略=投资。
盲目下注=赌博。
@Tiger_comments @TigerStars @TigerGPT
Have profited > USD $100K on options trading alone.
如果你知道這期權可以帶來的利與弊，那風險就不大。
如果你麻木跟風，不瞭解自己購買的理由，利用槓桿，沒有做資產配置。如有什麼風吹草動的話，你是完全沒有能力承擔
I had attended a few options seminar but still yet to fully understand how it is being use. Thus, I m hands off from options.