Retail Traders Take Over

Benzinga

Retail investors have regained market influence not seen since the 2021 meme-stock era, driving activity across stocks, options, and ETFs and helping support gains in 2025, including rallies in names like GameStop and AMC Entertainment Holdings, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Transcript

00:00It's Benzinga, bringing Wall Street to Main Street.

00:03Individual investors last dominated markets during the 2021 meme stock craze

00:08when amateur traders drove sharp rallies in stocks such as GameStop and AMC Entertainment

00:13Holdings, according to the Wall Street Journal. Their influence increased in stocks, options,

00:19exchange-traded funds, meme stocks, precious metals, IPOs, and prediction markets. Retail

00:26trading accounted for 22% of industry volume in October, the highest since February 2021.

00:33Their buying helped the S&P 500 gain 16% in 2025 and supported rebounds during market sell-offs,

00:41including April's tariff-driven decline. Analysts said retail investors are trading more actively

00:47using advanced tools and showing greater staying power, though some warned that higher participation

00:53also increases exposure to risk. For all things money, visit Benzinga.com.

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