Volatility led retail investors to trade a record $6.6 trillion U.S. worth of stocks during this year’s first half.
Tariffs, uncertainty, ongoing wars in Europe and the Middle East, and political tensions within the U.S. spurred investors to buy and sell a record number of equities in the year’s first six months.
According to data from Nasdaq (NDAQ), individual retail investors cumulatively bought $3.4 trillion U.S. worth of stocks over the first half of 2025.
At the same time, investors sold $3.2 trillion U.S. worth of stocks, bringing the total traded to $6.6 trillion U.S.
Among the most widely bought and sold stocks were chipmaker Nvidia (NVDA), electric vehicle maker Tesla (TSLA), and data analytics company Palantir (PLTR).
Most of the buying and selling that occurred in the year’s first half happened in April and May after the tariff announcements from U.S. President Donald Trump.
Those tariffs rattled global markets and ignited fears of a global trade war and economic recession.
However, the fear has since abated as the Trump administration has struck trade deals with countries such as the United Kingdom and China, and backed down on many of its threats.
The initial concerns seen in the spring have now given way to bullish sentiment as tariff and trade war fears subside, said Nasdaq.
NVDA stock is back at an all-time high of $160 U.S. per share and close to becoming the first publicly traded company to achieve a $4 trillion U.S. market capitalization.
