Key takeaways: 

• Crypto securities garnered significant attention as Bitcoin prices soared to all-time highs 

• Growth stocks, especially semiconductor shares, remained significantly popular within the Selfwealth community.  

• It is important to always do your own research before making decisions to invest.    

• Cryptocurrency can be volatile, and past returns are not an indicator of future returns.  

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The US presidential election was the major talking point last month, and it had substantial ramifications for the market at large, and influenced which securities attracted the most trading interest on the Selfwealth platform.  

As growth stocks enjoyed broad-based buying support, US indices recorded record highs. The Dow Jones gained 7.5% in November, outperforming the Nasdaq Composite, up 6.2%, and the S&P 500, up 5.7%. 

On the Selfwealth platform, cryptocurrency ETFs drew strong interest, as did semiconductors, tech giants, and other stocks that might benefit from deregulation and lower taxes expected by way of the election outcome. Here are last month’s most popular trades.US share trading activity 

Many of the popular trades that enjoyed a surge in activity in the lead-up to the US presidential election continued to draw interest thereafter, with a strong ‘pull’ towards assets offering high growth prospects. 

Chip stocks once again made an impression among the Selfwealth community, with industry leader Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) well out in front in terms of trade volumes. The total number of trades in NVDA last month was equivalent to the combined total of the bottom 10 of the top 20 shares on the list. Furthermore, buying sentiment improved by 8.9 percentage points, with more than seven out of every ten trades being ‘buys.  

Support also followed for other names in this sector, with two notable examples coming courtesy of Advanced Micro Devices (NASDAQ: AMD) and Super Micro Computer (NASDAQ: SMCI). Both increased their placings compared with October, in 10th and 14th positions, respectively. In the case of AMD, trade volumes increased by around 18% month-over-month, with that metric rising to 55% for SMCI. 

The price of Bitcoin surged throughout November, with the asset up 33.7%. During the election campaign, President-elect Donald Trump made various statements relating to cryptocurrency, including the establishment of a US strategic Bitcoin reserve. In turn, traders have flocked to the digital asset, which has spurred strong performances from numerous crypto-related securities. 

Two of these names, MARA Holdings (NASDAQ: MARA) and MicroStrategy (NASDAQ: MSTR), were the third and fourth most traded US stocks last month across the Selfwealth community. While MARA retained its ranking from October, trade volumes grew by one-third. For MSTR, trade volumes nearly tripled over the month, and its rise, from sixth, was underpinned by a 6.4 percentage point increase in buying conviction. 

Selfwealth investors also continued to follow Trump Media & Technology (NASDAQ: DJT) with keen interest. The stock ranked 12th in terms of trade volumes for November, two spots higher than the month preceding the election. The total number of trades in DJT increased by around 80% last month, with the obvious catalyst being the election result. 

Other growth stocks that were swept up by the market’s post-election enthusiasm included Rocket Lab USA (NASDAQ: RKLB) and IONQ (NYSE: IONQ), with the share prices of the duo up 155% and 142.9%, respectively. Despite their strong gains, community trading activity still showed a bias towards momentum buying in these shares. 

Enthusiasm for cryptocurrency ETFs was a key theme across US ETF trading activity, with the iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF (NASDAQ: IBIT) and GraniteShares 2x Long COIN Daily ETF (NASDAQ: CONL) both inside the top 10 last month. 

Trades in IBIT more than doubled over the month, which saw the fund rank fourth for trade volumes across all US-listed ETFs. It was a similar story for CONL, in fifth, with trades also up approximately two-fold.  

Both funds also garnered strong buying activity, with around two-thirds of all trades being buys. This suggests a notable cohort of Selfwealth investors were bullish towards cryptocurrency as the asset saw significant price growth through the month. 

Not only did MARA Holdings attract strong buying support by volume, but the stock was also at the centre of a significant increase in money flow. Having already set a record in October, when around $40 million worth of shares were traded in the crypto miner, this increased to $61 million in November.  

That level of support also flowed through to another Bitcoin mining and digital infrastructure company, Riot Platforms (NASDAQ: RIOT). Last month, RIOT was the ninth most traded US stock by value, which was a record result for the stock. Sentiment based on money flow was not at the same levels as that of trade volumes, suggesting buyers were taking up smaller dollar-sized positions than sellers. 

Two pharmaceuticals shares also saw heightened money flow last month in Moderna (NASDAQ: MRNA) and Merck (NYSE: MRK), ranking fourth and 16th respectively. 

Which US shares are the most held? 

Retaining its place as the most held US share on the Selfwealth platform, Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) enjoyed a bumper month in November. The collective value of all TSLA holdings across the community grew 39.9%, broadly in line with the stock’s underlying monthly performance.  

The rally kicked into gear immediately after the US election was called. Much of the enthusiasm related to Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s close connection to the incoming Trump administration, which also saw him secure a role overseeing government cost-cutting. What’s more, the new administration proposed a federal framework for self-driving vehicles — an area that Tesla has been actively working to develop and test its capabilities. 

Joining the top 10, MicroStrategy (NASDAQ: MSTR) finished the month in its highest-ever position, ranking eighth. As mentioned earlier, the company was one of several beneficiaries considering the post-election rally in Bitcoin prices. While the head stock surged 58.5%, Selfwealth holdings in MSTR fared even better, swelling more than 80%, such that there were nearly $20 million worth of shares on the platform as at the end of November.  

For the fifth month in a row, Palantir (NASDAQ: PLTR) holdings grew in value by a double-digit growth rate. During November, that rate of growth accelerated to 55.5%, with the total value of PLTR holdings in the Selfwealth community now just a fraction behind that of Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK.B). Much of the growth was directly attributable to a strong third-quarter report from the AI-driven data analytics software company, which also opted to move from the NYSE to the Nasdaq. 

Meanwhile, GameStop (NYSE: GME) reclaimed two spots amid the risk-on rally, finishing the month in 15th, while other high growth assets like the iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF (NASDAQ: IBIT) and the Vanguard Information Technology Index Fund ETF (NYSE: VGT) made the cut, in 15th and 20th positions, respectively. It was the first time that VGT featured in the top 20, highlighting just how quickly the Selfwealth community embraced tech following the election.

That’s all for this Trade Trends report, stay tuned for the next edition this time next month!