Market factor

Retail trading activity

Impact tier: 3 — Flows and mechanics
Category: Positioning, sentiment, and fund flows
Watch: Retail share of volume; brokerage app downloads; options volume
Frequency: weekly
Effect lasts: weeks

Retail trading activity. Retail buys dips and single names; its share of volume peaks at tops.

What to watch: Retail share of volume; brokerage app downloads; options volume. It arrives weekly, and the effect typically lasts weeks.

It sits in tier 3 — Flows and mechanics: Moves prices without changing anything fundamental, on horizons from hours to weeks. Who is forced to buy or sell, and when. Ignore this tier and market moves will regularly look inexplicable.

Primary source — nasdaq.com ↗

Its neighbourhood

Everything this entry connects to directly. Click any point to follow it.

Trends tracked by this

Sports betting and prediction marketsCompounding now. Evidence is visible in company results and data.
Retail investors and financial nihilismCompounding now. Evidence is visible in company results and data.

Also in Positioning, sentiment, and fund flows

Implied volatility (VIX)Tier 3
Put/call ratioTier 3
Retail investor sentiment (AAII)Tier 3
Fund manager survey (BofA)Tier 3
Active manager exposure (NAAIM)Tier 3
Fear and greed compositesTier 3
Fund flowsTier 3
Margin debtTier 3
Short interestTier 3
CTA and trend-following positioningTier 3
Volatility-control and risk-parity fundsTier 3
Dealer gamma positioningTier 3
Foreign investor flowsTier 3
Sovereign wealth funds and pension allocationTier 3
Crypto marketsTier 3
ESG and thematic fund flowsTier 4
Pension funding statusTier 3
Retail options and leveraged ETF flowsTier 3
Market breadthTier 3
Factor and style rotationTier 3