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From dabblers to day traders, individual investors' impact on Wall Street grows
Retail investors reversed their 'dumb money' label by driving a $5.4 trillion surge in U.S. stock trading volume on major exchanges, market data shows.
- In 2025, retail investors drove a $5.4 trillion surge in trading on U.S. exchanges, including the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq, reversing dismissals as 'dumb money' .
- After years of dismissal as 'dumb money', individual investors increased sustained trading, while greater access on retail trading platforms lifted volumes across U.S. exchanges.
- Reuters reporting and images from Feb. 13, 2026, showed elevated intraday readings for QQQ, with photographs of Wall Street venues highlighting the trading surge.
- Industry and regulators are paying closer attention because media coverage and market data have drawn regulatory focus to the scale and persistence of retail investors' activity.
- The trend positions retail investors as a lasting market force with implications for trading strategies and U.S. policy debates on market structure and surveillance.
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25 Articles
25 Articles
The Times of Northwest Indiana+24 Reposted by 24 other sources
From dabblers to day traders, individual investors' impact on Wall Street grows
For years, retail investors were dismissed by some on Wall Street as “dumb money.” That’s no longer the case.
·Cherokee County, United States
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Total News Sources25
Leaning Left2Leaning Right0Center23Last UpdatedBias Distribution92% Center
Bias Distribution
- 92% of the sources are Center
92% Center
C 92%
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