Retail Investors Flock to Tech Stocks Amid Earnings and AI Infrastructure Momentum
Retail investors drove interest in five stocks this week on X and Reddit's r/WallStreetBets, fueled by retail hype, earnings, AI infrastructure momentum, and corporate news flow. Intel (INTC), Apple (AAPL), Nvidia (NVDA), Nebius Group (NBIS), and Oracle (ORCL) led the pack, reflecting strong retail interest across semiconductor, consumer electronics, AI hardware, cloud infrastructure, and enterprise software sectors.
Intel shares fell on Monday due to a broader semiconductor selloff triggered by AI leaders calling for slower frontier-model development over safety concerns. However, the stock rebounded mid-week after Altera confidentially filed for a U.S. IPO, in which Intel holds a 49% stake. SK Hynix Inc. was also reported to be in exploratory talks with Intel regarding memory chip manufacturing at their facilities.
Nvidia shares fell on Monday as well amid the semiconductor selloff, while Apple's major stories this week centered around the rollout and reception of new products unveiled under new CEO John Ternus, including the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max. Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison canceled a planned sale of up to 50 million shares of roughly $7.5 billion, and initiated a fresh round of layoffs as part of ongoing cost-cutting while investing heavily in AI infrastructure.
Nebius Group announced it would raise on-demand AI compute prices effective Oct. 1, citing persistently strong demand. Market strategists like Shay Boloor identified $150 per share as a target entry level for NBIS, about 31.19% lower than the current level. Retail investors were highly bullish on all five stocks.