The stock market has been hot since the pandemic, with a the surge of new investors cashing in on an historic run for the S&P 500. While we can’t say for sure what caused this uptick in investors, what we can do is highlight some of the more popular stocks out there.
What are the most popular stocks?
To determine the most popular stocks, Finder ranked stocks by the largest daily volume. Stock volume refers to the number of shares traded in a stock. High volume typically indicates there’s high demand for the stock.
To gauge which are the most popular stocks, Finder dug into the day’s tarding volume and the 30 day average trading volume to gather which stock has seen an increase in its popularity. Higher average volume indicated that a stock has sustained popularity.
Note that these figures are shown for your interest only and are not a guide for how you should invest.
Top Popular Stocks
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Frequently asked questions
We rank stocks by trading volume, the number of shares that change hands over a given period. High volume signals strong investor demand and interest in a stock. We also show average volume over the last 30 market days, which helps separate stocks with sustained popularity from those seeing a one-day spike on news or hype.
No. Popularity measures attention, not quality. A stock can trade in huge volume because of news, social media buzz or short-term speculation, none of which say anything about the underlying business. These rankings are for interest only and aren't a guide for how you should invest. Always do your own research or speak to a licensed financial professional before buying.
Trading volume is the number of shares traded over a period, while market capitalization is the total value of a company, calculated by multiplying its share price by the number of shares outstanding. A relatively small company can post enormous volume during a frenzy, and a massive company can trade fairly quietly. The two measure very different things.
Volume is a useful gauge of liquidity, how easily you can buy or sell a stock without moving its price. Higher-volume stocks tend to have tighter bid-ask spreads, so you're more likely to trade close to the quoted price. Volume can also help confirm the strength of a price move: a rally or sell-off on heavy volume is generally viewed as more meaningful than one on thin trading.
There's overlap, but they aren't the same thing. Meme stocks are driven largely by retail investors coordinating on social media, which can send volume soaring regardless of fundamentals. A volume-based popularity ranking captures those names when they spike, but it also routinely includes blue-chip and megacap stocks like Apple and NVIDIA that trade heavily every day.
You'll need a brokerage account. Once it's funded, you can search for a stock by its ticker symbol and place an order. Many brokers now offer commission-free trades and fractional shares, so you can invest a fixed dollar amount even in high-priced stocks. Compare your options among the best brokerage accounts, or read our guide on how to buy stocks online.
Some do and some don't. Established names such as Apple, Ford and Bank of America pay regular dividends, but many of the fast-growing tech and speculative stocks that top the volume charts reinvest their earnings rather than paying shareholders. Check a company's dividend history before assuming income is part of the return.
It varies year to year, which is exactly what our investment tracker above is designed to show. Some years a $1,000 stake in leading stocks has come out ahead, other years crypto has. Both can be highly volatile, and past performance doesn't guarantee future results, unexpected factors can move prices in either direction.
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Matt Miczulski is an investments editor and market analyst at Finder. With over 450 bylines, Matt dissects and reviews brokers and investing platforms to expose perks and pain points, explores investment products and concepts and covers market news, making investing more accessible and helping readers to make informed financial decisions.
Before joining Finder in 2021, Matt covered everything from finance news and banking to debt and travel for FinanceBuzz. His expertise and analysis on investing and other financial topics has been featured on Yahoo Finance, CBS, MSN, Best Company and Consolidated Credit, among others. Matt holds a BA in history from William Paterson University.
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