Retail investors' conversations from December 29 through January 2 prominently featured a cohort of five stocks spanning multiple industries and reflecting broad investor interests. The companies discussed were Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT), Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Ltd. (NYSE:TSM), Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG, NASDAQ:GOOGL), IREN Ltd. (NASDAQ:IREN), and Strategy Inc. (NASDAQ:MSTR), representing sectors including retail, semiconductor manufacturing, artificial intelligence, cloud technology, and cryptocurrency-related ventures.
Target Corporation’s Rally on Activist Investment
Target attracted attention following activist investor Toms Capital Investment Management's acquisition of a substantial equity stake. Market participants interpreted this move as a potential impetus for changes aimed at revitalizing Target's operations and unlocking shareholder value. Responding to heightened scrutiny, Target reasserted its objective to return to sustainable growth, noting enhancements to its merchandise offerings and customer shopping experience as central to this goal.
Despite optimism, some retail investors voiced concerns about the services at Target-branded stores, suggesting that while the retailer may require a turnaround, existing customer service quality remains a matter for improvement.
Regarding stock performance, Target's share price fluctuated within a 52-week range from $83.44 to $145.08, trading near $97 to $99 at the time of reporting. The stock declined by approximately 28.75% over the span of 2025 and continued to fall by 7.30% in the preceding six months. Detailed analysis from Benzinga's Edge Stock Rankings indicates Target exhibits a robust price trend over short and medium periods but a weaker trajectory over the long term.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Eyes Growing AI Demand
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) secured an annual U.S. export license enabling it to ship chipmaking equipment to its Nanjing facility. Concurrently, Nvidia Corporation expressed interest in collaborating with TSMC to expand production of its H200 AI processor, anticipating elevated demand from the Chinese market in 2026.
This dynamic cast a bullish light on TSMC among retail investors, particularly ahead of the company's upcoming earnings announcement later in the month.
TSMC's shares traded around $303 to $305 within a 52-week high and low bracket of $134.25 and $313.98. Over 2025, the stock appreciated by 50.75%, with a gain of 30.09% in the past six months. Benzinga's evaluations assign TSMC strong momentum and quality scores across short, medium, and long durations.
Alphabet's AI and Cloud Segments Fuel Share Gains
Alphabet's stock performance stood out among its sizeable technology peers, posting the highest returns within the so-called Magnificent 7 since the start of 2025. Investor enthusiasm is attributed largely to advancements in the company's Gemini AI platform, robust cloud business growth, and progress in its autonomous driving initiative, Waymo.
Retail investor sentiment has been strongly bullish, buoyed by Alphabet’s milestone year.
Alphabet’s share prices ranged from $142.66 to $328.67 over 52 weeks, with current trading around $313 to $315 per share. This reflects an increase of 64.61% for 2025 and a 74.57% rise within the last six months. The company sustains a solid price trend and quality ranking across all observed timeframes according to Benzinga's Edge Stock Rankings.
IREN Ltd. Entwined in Geopolitical and Cryptocurrency Narratives
IREN came under investor focus following the United States’ discussion of potentially using Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant for cryptocurrency mining, amid ongoing negotiations with Russia. This proposal involves the possibility of relocating mining operations outside the U.S., which contrasts with political pledges to maintain domestic Bitcoin production.
Retail investors who entered positions in IREN at higher price levels expressed uncertainty about their investment decisions despite the company's over 200% rise in 2025.
The stock moved within a range of $5.12 to $76.87 over the past year, trading near $36 to $38 at the close of the observation period. It soared approximately 261.09% throughout 2025 and over the last six months. Benzinga ratings show the stock holds a strong long-term price trend but weaker short and medium-term trends, accompanied by a moderate valuation.
Strategy Inc.’s Bitcoin Acquisition and AI Focus Transition
Strategy Inc. disclosed on December 29 the procurement of 1,229 Bitcoin units, amounting to roughly $108.8 million in value, financed through stock sales. This augmented the firm's total Bitcoin holdings to 672,497 units. Notwithstanding a difficult market year in 2025, the company reflected on these developments in its year-end communication, which additionally emphasized a strategic pivot towards artificial intelligence and data analytics in the upcoming year.
Investor reaction has been cautious, influenced by the company's substantial decline in stock price across 2025.
The stock’s trading range during the prior 52 weeks spanned $151.42 to $457.22, with the latest trading between $150 and $152 per share. Its price decreased by 49.35% for the year and declined 62.23% over the six months. Benzinga’s rankings assign Strategy a weak price trend and poor valuation metrics across short-, medium-, and long-term periods.
Market Context and Retail Investor Behavior
The heightened retail interest in these varied equities combines meme-inspired narratives with concrete earnings expectations and corporate news flow. Despite this concentrated focus, major indices such as the S&P 500, Dow Jones Industrial Average, and Nasdaq largely experienced negative performance, missing out on the typical year-end bullish 'Santa Claus rally.'