Retail Investors Embrace the Meme Stock Trend in Summer 2025
For retail investors, the summer of 2025 has turned into the latest phase of meme stocks. Recent stocks like Opendoor, Kohl’s, and Krispy Kreme have taken over the spotlight from former favorites such as GameStop, AMC, and the now-closed Bed, Bath & Beyond, offering unpredictable price movements with little fundamental reasoning behind them.
Opendoor has surged over 300% in the past month and recorded a 140% boost in retail trading over the past two weeks compared to the previous month, according to VandaTrack’s trading data. Despite a 21% drop since Monday’s opening, the stock has seen a more than 50% increase over the last five days.
On Wednesday, Krispy Kreme and GoPro both experienced significant premarket gains, rising more than 90% and 70% respectively. However, both companies faced losses before the market opened on Thursday after earlier highs, resulting in less impressive closing figures.
What’s fueling this renewed enthusiasm for speculative investments, especially in stocks previously dismissed by Wall Street? Steve Sosnick, the chief strategist at Interactive Brokers, believes the current market conditions are favorable for taking risks. “Investors are feeling somewhat invulnerable right now,” he remarked. “If the basics are working, why not engage with riskier assets?”
Following a substantial market downturn due to President Trump’s earlier April tariff announcement, the stock market has rebounded significantly. Now, the S&P 500 is frequently achieving record highs, and those who invested during April’s decline have generally seen considerable returns.
Investor sentiment remains elevated, largely driven by faith in artificial intelligence stocks, with Nvidia experiencing a 90% increase since its lowest point in April. Meanwhile, Microsoft and Meta Platforms have enjoyed over 40% growth since their respective lows.
The surge in speculative trading isn’t limited to traditional stocks; cryptocurrencies are also benefitting, particularly due to support from the White House. Companies like Coinbase and CoreWeave have seen extraordinary price increases since the year’s start, with Robinhood’s stock up over 170% for the year.
