Retail investors returned with a vengeance in 2025 and continue to have a bigger impact on the stock market as institutional investors pay closer attention. The investors have purchased over $300 billion of U.S. stocks this year, up by 53% from 2024 and surpassing the $270 billion of inflows seen in 2021 during the GameStop (GME) trading frenzy, according to JPMorgan (JPM).
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“Retail investors are here to stay, especially for 2026,” said Jefferies SMID-Cap Strategist Steven DeSanctis. “They made money this year, they like to trade stocks, they have the applications to do so.”
Retail Investors Favor AI Stocks and ETFs
Retail investing has made up between 20% and 25% of all trading activity this year and peaked at a record high of about 35% in April, the same month that saw stocks across the board crater from President Trump’s reciprocal tariffs policy.
Brokerage data shows that retail investors have crowded into popular AI-related stocks, like Nvidia (NVDA), Palantir (PLTR), and Tesla (TSLA). They’ve also stepped up purchases of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that center on indexes, cryptocurrencies, and commodities.
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