Throughout the calendar week encompassing December 22 through 26, retail investors on social media platforms such as X and Reddit's r/WallStreetBets exhibited heightened discussion and focus on five specific stocks, each representing distinct industry sectors. These equity interests spanned the domains of aerospace communication services, digital media, athletic wear, semiconductor manufacturing, artificial intelligence (AI), and electric vehicle production.
AST SpaceMobile (NASDAQ: ASTS) dominated the discourse predominantly due to its recent technological milestone: the successful deployment of its BlueBird 6 satellite into low Earth orbit. Launched on December 23 to 24 via the Indian Space Research Organisation’s LVM3 rocket, this satellite boasts the largest commercial communications array ever placed in a low Earth orbit environment, featuring an expansive nearly 2,400 square foot array. This development signifies a tenfold increase in capacity over its preceding satellites, designed to enable direct-to-smartphone 4G and 5G broadband connectivity.
Following this achievement, some retail investors chose to maintain their holdings in ASTS, keeping faith in the company’s strategic advancements. The stock fluctuated within a 52-week trading range from $17.51 to $102.79, executing trades around the $78 to $80 region at the time of publication. Year-to-date, ASTS experienced an impressive appreciation of approximately 260.67%, with a year-on-year gain of 216.25%. According to Benzinga's Edge Stock Rankings, its price trends showed notable strength across short, medium, and long-term horizons.
Trump Media & Technology Group (NASDAQ: DJT) was characterized by persistent volatility, largely influenced by its December 18 announcement of a $6 billion all-stock merger with fusion energy enterprise TAE Technologies. This development provoked critical responses from ethics monitoring entities concerning the potential implications of the merger.
During this week, DJT publicly refuted circulating blockchain-based data suggesting it had acquired upwards of $40 million in Bitcoin. The company clarified it had not purchased additional BTC holdings, aiming to correct the misinformation. Market participants responded with anxiety amid the stock’s decline. DJT’s 52-week price range spanned from $10.18 to $43.45, with recent trading near $14 to $15. The stock’s performance reflected a 57.94% decrease year-to-date and a 61.36% drop annually. Benzinga's rankings indicated weaker medium- and long-term price trends for DJT, although a stronger short-term movement was noted.
Nike Inc. (NYSE: NKE) encountered ongoing downward pressure stemming from the prior week's post-earnings selloff. Investor concerns centered on China’s economic softness, the impact of tariffs, and compressing profit margins. A significant event invigorating the stock was Apple CEO Tim Cook’s purchase of 50,000 shares, valued at $3 million, on December 22. This acquisition nearly doubled Cook’s stake in Nike and was interpreted as a vote of confidence in CEO Elliott Hill’s turnaround strategy, which in turn catalyzed a bullish response among retail investors.
The equity traded within a 52-week band ranging from $52.28 to $82.44, with contemporaneous prices around $60 to $61 per share. Year-to-date, the stock recorded an 18.56% decline, contrasted with a 22.02% rise over the preceding full year. Benzinga's Edge Stock Rankings designate Nike’s pricing trends as relatively weak across short, medium, and long durations, though the stock maintained a moderate value score.
Nvidia Corporation (NASDAQ: NVDA) experienced relatively subdued trading during the holiday period, marked by reduced market volumes. The company delivered encouraging updates on December 22, announcing intentions to commence shipments of its advanced H200 AI chips to China by mid-February, contingent on regulatory approvals, thereby enhancing investor outlook. Additionally, on December 24, Nvidia disclosed a significant licensing agreement with AI inference startup Groq, bolstering its strategic engagement with the evolving AI inference sector.
This sequence of news incited retail investors to speculate on Nvidia shares surpassing the $200 mark. Over the previous year, NVDA stock oscillated between $86.63 and $212.19, trading between $188 and $190 at the report's timing. The stock’s performance reflected a year-to-date gain of 36.37%, and an annual increase of 34.79%. Market rankings from Benzinga reported strong pricing trends and solid quality assessments throughout all time frames.
Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ: TSLA) maintained trading levels near record highs amid light holiday volume. Its price momentum benefited from a recent judicial decision by the Delaware Supreme Court on December 19, which reinstated CEO Elon Musk’s 2018 compensation package, valued at approximately $139 billion. AI director Ashok Elluswamy shared positive developments related to Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) testing without supervision, as well as demonstration rides with no passengers in Austin during December 24 and 25.
Despite this progress, some investors exhibited skepticism concerning Tesla’s genuine growth prospects. The stock measured a 52-week price range of $214.25 to $498.82, trading near $485 to $486 per share during the report period. Annual returns included a 27.98% gain year-to-date, and a 6.89% elevation over the past year. Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings depict Tesla as maintaining robust price trends across multiple durations, albeit with a poor valuation score.
Investor focus during this period intertwined enthusiasm generated from meme-driven narratives with corporate earnings updates and strategic announcements. Concurrently, primary market benchmarks such as the S&P 500, Dow Jones Industrial Average, and Nasdaq Composite experienced predominantly positive movement over the week.