Wall Street Bets Reddit Retail Traders GameStop
In this photo illustration the WallStreetBets page seen in the background of a silhouette hand holding a mobile phone with Reddit logo.
Photo Illustration by Rafael Henrique/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
  • Nasdaq's Retail Trading Activity Tracker shows the top 10 stocks retail traders bought up this year.
  • Tesla and Apple led the list, while exchange-traded funds made it as well.
  • AMC was the third most-traded stock but much of the investing was not meme stocks.

It's been well-known since January when GameStop shares surged to eye-watering highs: Retail traders are making their mark on the stock markets.

A new asset class called "meme stocks" has emerged with names like GameStop, AMC and BlackBerry topping the list. But new data from Nasdaq's Retail Trading Activity Tracker, which launched Thursday, shows what stocks have really grabbed retail traders' attention.

Here's the list of the top 10 stocks, according to Nasdaq.

10. TQQQ

Nasdaq exchange
VIEW press/Getty Images
VIEW press/Getty Images

YTD performance: 84% as of the Thursday close, according to Google data.

ProShares TQQQ is one of the largest exchange-traded funds that tracks the Nasdaq index.

9. Moderna

moderna vaccine
Getty Images/Go Nakamura
Getty Images/Go Nakamura

YTD performance: 102%

Moderna became a highly sought after stock among retail traders this year after developing a COVID-19 vaccine in under a year.

8. Nvidia

A sign is posted in front of the Nvidia headquarters on May 10, 2018 in Santa Clara, California.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

YTD performance: 132%

The maker of graphics processing units, or GPUs, for gaming has been consistently hyped on Reddit this year, according to HypeEquity data.

7. Invesco QQQ

the Invesco logo seen displayed on a smartphone.
Rafael Henrique/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
Rafael Henrique/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

YTD performance: 26%

Invesco QQQ is the official exchange-traded fund of the NCAA, and it just launched a computer game to teach young investors about finance.

6. NIO

NIO
NIO
NIO

YTD performance: -21%

Retail traders have been bullish, to say the least, on electric-vehicle companies, and Shanghai-based NIO is no exception.

5. SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust

Wall Street
Henny Ray Abrams/AP Photo
Henny Ray Abrams/AP Photo

YTD performance: 26%

Retail traders, believe it or not, aren't all-in on meme stocks. Much of their investing is in index and exchange-traded funds, like this one.

4. Advanced Micro Devices

AMD CEO Lisa Su
AMD CEO Lisa Su. Steve Marcus/Reuters
Steve Marcus/Reuters

YTD performance: 58%

The Santa Clara, California-based semiconductor maker has been on the rise as big tech companies like Meta (formerly Facebook), Microsoft, and Google buy up its chips, helping it compete with market leader Intel, CNBC reported previously.

3. AMC

AMC AP
AP
AP

YTD performance: 1,863%

Free popcorn anyone? AMC has capitalized on its meme-stock status by offering perks to its army of retail traders known as "AMC apes."

2. Apple

Apple iPhones are displayed at an Apple store in Beijing, China, February 17, 2016.  REUTERS/Damir Sagolj
Thomson Reuters
Thomson Reuters

YTD performance: 14%

The iPhone maker has been a safe haven for retail traders fleeing more volatile meme stocks like AMC and GameStop.

1. Tesla

tesla
REUTERS/Steven Lam
REUTERS/Steven Lam

YTD performance: 48%

With Twitter's favorite CEO Elon Musk at the helm, it's no wonder Tesla is the top stock among retail traders.

Read the original article on Business Insider