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Five Stocks That Dominated Retail Investor Chatter This Week

MarketDash Editorial Team
8 days ago
Retail investors on X and Reddit's r/WallStreetBets couldn't stop talking about Walmart, Alibaba, Alphabet, Meta, and Nvidia this week as Black Friday sales, earnings reports, Pentagon drama, and AI infrastructure deals kept the conversation buzzing.

Retail investors had plenty to talk about during the week of November 24-28, and they weren't shy about sharing their opinions on X and Reddit's r/WallStreetBets. Five stocks in particular captured the collective imagination: Walmart Inc. (WMT), Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. (BABA), Alphabet Inc. (GOOG) (GOOGL), Meta Platforms Inc. (META), and Nvidia Corp. (NVDA). The conversation was driven by everything from Black Friday hype to earnings beats, Pentagon drama to AI infrastructure deals, creating a fascinating snapshot of what retail traders care about right now.

These stocks span retail, semiconductors, and artificial intelligence, reflecting the diverse interests of today's retail investing crowd. The action this week blended meme-driven narratives with actual corporate news and earnings results, all while the S&P 500, Dow Jones, and Nasdaq posted positive market action.

Walmart: Black Friday King

Walmart absolutely owned the Black Friday conversation this week, and for good reason. The retail giant launched its Black Friday event online on November 25 at midnight Eastern Time, but Walmart+ members got the early bird treatment starting November 24 at 7 p.m. ET. If you wanted to fight crowds in person, in-store deals kicked off November 28 at 6 a.m.

The deals were legitimately impressive. We're talking AirPods 4 at $69, LEGO sets including the Star Wars Millennium Falcon, Pokémon plushies, video games, and appliances discounted up to 78%. Thousands of items were priced under $20, making it catnip for bargain hunters and gift shoppers alike. True to recent tradition, Walmart kept its stores closed on Thanksgiving Day (November 27) to prioritize family time for employees before reopening for the holiday shopping rush.

Retail investors on r/WallStreetBets seemed confident that Walmart would crush it on Black Friday, and the stock's performance backed up that optimism. Walmart traded in a 52-week range of $79.81 to $109.59, and as of this writing, shares were hovering around $109 to $111. That puts the stock up 21.22% year-to-date and 17.95% over the past year. While the stock showed a moderate value ranking, it demonstrated a stronger price trend across short, medium, and long-term timeframes.

Alibaba: Earnings Beat Meets Pentagon Drama

Alibaba had a tale of two days this week. On November 25, the Chinese e-commerce and cloud computing giant reported second-quarter results that beat revenue estimates, with sales rising 5% to $34.81 billion (or RMB 247.8 billion). The growth was fueled by an impressive 34% surge in cloud revenue driven by AI demand, plus quick-commerce investments that attracted over 3,500 brands to the Tmall platform.

That's the good news. The bad news arrived the very next day when Reuters reported that the Pentagon proposed adding Alibaba to its Section 1260H list of Chinese military-linked firms, alongside Baidu and BYD. Both Alibaba and the Chinese government firmly denied any military connections, but the damage was done in terms of market sentiment.

Some retail investors were quick to dump their Alibaba positions after the Pentagon news broke, understandably spooked by the geopolitical implications. The stock had been on a tear, trading in a 52-week range of $80.06 to $192.67, with shares around $157 to $160 at publication time. Despite the week's drama, Alibaba was still up an impressive 85.52% year-to-date and 80.38% over the past year. The stock showed a stronger price trend in medium and long-term timeframes but weakness in the short term, with a solid growth ranking overall.

Alphabet: Racing Toward $4 Trillion

Alphabet shares surged at the beginning of the week, driven by AI-fueled optimism that pushed the company toward a potentially historic $4 trillion valuation. That's trillion with a T, in case you were wondering.

The real catalyst came on November 25 when reports emerged that Meta was in talks to spend billions of dollars on Google's custom Tensor Processing Units (TPUs) for data centers starting in 2027. This is a big deal because it positions Google as not just an AI software player but also a serious contender in AI hardware infrastructure, an arena previously dominated by Nvidia.

Retail investors were enthusiastically pumping Alphabet stock based on these positive prospects. The enthusiasm seems justified when you look at the numbers: the stock traded in a 52-week range of $142.66 to $328.67, with shares around $320 to $322 at the time of publication. Alphabet was up a jaw-dropping 68.01% year-to-date and 87.86% over the past year. The stock maintained a stronger price trend across short, medium, and long-term periods, with a solid quality ranking to boot.

Meta: AI Optimism Versus Social Harm Allegations

Meta had a complicated week, which pretty much describes the company's entire existence at this point. On the positive side, shares rebounded sharply amid AI trading optimism and analyst upgrades. The same November 25 reports about Meta potentially spending billions on Google's TPUs for data centers starting in 2027 gave investors plenty to be excited about. The deal would help Meta diversify its AI computing infrastructure away from complete dependence on Nvidia chips.

On the less positive side, fresh court filings alleged that the company buried internal research demonstrating causal harm to youth from social media use. But let's be honest, at this point, investors seem more focused on AI infrastructure spending than litigation risk.

Retail investors were decidedly bullish on Meta, brushing off the negative headlines to focus on the growth story. The stock traded in a 52-week range of $479.80 to $796.25, with shares around $633 to $635 at publication time. Meta was up 5.74% year-to-date and 10.32% over the past year. Interestingly, the stock showed a weaker price trend across short, medium, and long-term periods, with a moderate value ranking, suggesting some technical weakness despite the bullish sentiment.

Nvidia: Too Big To Fail?

Nvidia had perhaps the most dramatic week of the bunch. Initially, shares dipped on those same reports about Meta planning to deploy Google's TPUs in data centers starting in 2027. The implication was clear: if major customers start diversifying away from Nvidia's GPUs, that's a problem for the chip giant's dominance.

CEO Jensen Huang wasn't having it. He issued a statement asserting that Nvidia remains "a generation ahead" with versatile GPUs that outperform application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) like Google's TPUs. Translation: we're still the best, and everyone knows it.

On November 26, Nvidia took another swing at its critics, issuing a leaked memo to analysts that dismissed comparisons to Enron made by skeptics including Michael Burry (yes, that Michael Burry from "The Big Short"). The company clearly felt the need to push back against valuation concerns.

Retail investors seemed to agree with the broader market sentiment that Nvidia was "too big to fail." Despite the week's turbulence, the stock traded in a 52-week range of $86.63 to $212.19, with shares around $180 to $182 at publication time. Nvidia was up 30.33% year-to-date and 30.39% over the past year. The stock maintained a stronger price trend over the long term but showed weakness in short and medium-term trends, with a strong growth score overall.

What It All Means

This week's retail investor focus perfectly captures the current market moment: a blend of meme-driven narratives, actual earnings results, and legitimate corporate developments. Black Friday retail excitement, Chinese geopolitical risk, AI infrastructure spending, and semiconductor competition all played roles in driving the conversation.

The fact that these five stocks captured so much attention speaks to how retail investors are thinking right now. They're not just chasing memes anymore (though that still happens). They're engaging with earnings reports, analyzing corporate strategy shifts, and trying to figure out which companies will win the AI infrastructure wars. Whether they're right or wrong, they're paying attention to the stuff that actually matters for long-term value creation.

And that, ultimately, might be the most interesting development of all.

Back to News

Five Stocks That Dominated Retail Investor Chatter This Week

MarketDash Editorial Team
8 days ago
Retail investors on X and Reddit's r/WallStreetBets couldn't stop talking about Walmart, Alibaba, Alphabet, Meta, and Nvidia this week as Black Friday sales, earnings reports, Pentagon drama, and AI infrastructure deals kept the conversation buzzing.

Retail investors had plenty to talk about during the week of November 24-28, and they weren't shy about sharing their opinions on X and Reddit's r/WallStreetBets. Five stocks in particular captured the collective imagination: Walmart Inc. (WMT), Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. (BABA), Alphabet Inc. (GOOG) (GOOGL), Meta Platforms Inc. (META), and Nvidia Corp. (NVDA). The conversation was driven by everything from Black Friday hype to earnings beats, Pentagon drama to AI infrastructure deals, creating a fascinating snapshot of what retail traders care about right now.

These stocks span retail, semiconductors, and artificial intelligence, reflecting the diverse interests of today's retail investing crowd. The action this week blended meme-driven narratives with actual corporate news and earnings results, all while the S&P 500, Dow Jones, and Nasdaq posted positive market action.

Walmart: Black Friday King

Walmart absolutely owned the Black Friday conversation this week, and for good reason. The retail giant launched its Black Friday event online on November 25 at midnight Eastern Time, but Walmart+ members got the early bird treatment starting November 24 at 7 p.m. ET. If you wanted to fight crowds in person, in-store deals kicked off November 28 at 6 a.m.

The deals were legitimately impressive. We're talking AirPods 4 at $69, LEGO sets including the Star Wars Millennium Falcon, Pokémon plushies, video games, and appliances discounted up to 78%. Thousands of items were priced under $20, making it catnip for bargain hunters and gift shoppers alike. True to recent tradition, Walmart kept its stores closed on Thanksgiving Day (November 27) to prioritize family time for employees before reopening for the holiday shopping rush.

Retail investors on r/WallStreetBets seemed confident that Walmart would crush it on Black Friday, and the stock's performance backed up that optimism. Walmart traded in a 52-week range of $79.81 to $109.59, and as of this writing, shares were hovering around $109 to $111. That puts the stock up 21.22% year-to-date and 17.95% over the past year. While the stock showed a moderate value ranking, it demonstrated a stronger price trend across short, medium, and long-term timeframes.

Alibaba: Earnings Beat Meets Pentagon Drama

Alibaba had a tale of two days this week. On November 25, the Chinese e-commerce and cloud computing giant reported second-quarter results that beat revenue estimates, with sales rising 5% to $34.81 billion (or RMB 247.8 billion). The growth was fueled by an impressive 34% surge in cloud revenue driven by AI demand, plus quick-commerce investments that attracted over 3,500 brands to the Tmall platform.

That's the good news. The bad news arrived the very next day when Reuters reported that the Pentagon proposed adding Alibaba to its Section 1260H list of Chinese military-linked firms, alongside Baidu and BYD. Both Alibaba and the Chinese government firmly denied any military connections, but the damage was done in terms of market sentiment.

Some retail investors were quick to dump their Alibaba positions after the Pentagon news broke, understandably spooked by the geopolitical implications. The stock had been on a tear, trading in a 52-week range of $80.06 to $192.67, with shares around $157 to $160 at publication time. Despite the week's drama, Alibaba was still up an impressive 85.52% year-to-date and 80.38% over the past year. The stock showed a stronger price trend in medium and long-term timeframes but weakness in the short term, with a solid growth ranking overall.

Alphabet: Racing Toward $4 Trillion

Alphabet shares surged at the beginning of the week, driven by AI-fueled optimism that pushed the company toward a potentially historic $4 trillion valuation. That's trillion with a T, in case you were wondering.

The real catalyst came on November 25 when reports emerged that Meta was in talks to spend billions of dollars on Google's custom Tensor Processing Units (TPUs) for data centers starting in 2027. This is a big deal because it positions Google as not just an AI software player but also a serious contender in AI hardware infrastructure, an arena previously dominated by Nvidia.

Retail investors were enthusiastically pumping Alphabet stock based on these positive prospects. The enthusiasm seems justified when you look at the numbers: the stock traded in a 52-week range of $142.66 to $328.67, with shares around $320 to $322 at the time of publication. Alphabet was up a jaw-dropping 68.01% year-to-date and 87.86% over the past year. The stock maintained a stronger price trend across short, medium, and long-term periods, with a solid quality ranking to boot.

Meta: AI Optimism Versus Social Harm Allegations

Meta had a complicated week, which pretty much describes the company's entire existence at this point. On the positive side, shares rebounded sharply amid AI trading optimism and analyst upgrades. The same November 25 reports about Meta potentially spending billions on Google's TPUs for data centers starting in 2027 gave investors plenty to be excited about. The deal would help Meta diversify its AI computing infrastructure away from complete dependence on Nvidia chips.

On the less positive side, fresh court filings alleged that the company buried internal research demonstrating causal harm to youth from social media use. But let's be honest, at this point, investors seem more focused on AI infrastructure spending than litigation risk.

Retail investors were decidedly bullish on Meta, brushing off the negative headlines to focus on the growth story. The stock traded in a 52-week range of $479.80 to $796.25, with shares around $633 to $635 at publication time. Meta was up 5.74% year-to-date and 10.32% over the past year. Interestingly, the stock showed a weaker price trend across short, medium, and long-term periods, with a moderate value ranking, suggesting some technical weakness despite the bullish sentiment.

Nvidia: Too Big To Fail?

Nvidia had perhaps the most dramatic week of the bunch. Initially, shares dipped on those same reports about Meta planning to deploy Google's TPUs in data centers starting in 2027. The implication was clear: if major customers start diversifying away from Nvidia's GPUs, that's a problem for the chip giant's dominance.

CEO Jensen Huang wasn't having it. He issued a statement asserting that Nvidia remains "a generation ahead" with versatile GPUs that outperform application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) like Google's TPUs. Translation: we're still the best, and everyone knows it.

On November 26, Nvidia took another swing at its critics, issuing a leaked memo to analysts that dismissed comparisons to Enron made by skeptics including Michael Burry (yes, that Michael Burry from "The Big Short"). The company clearly felt the need to push back against valuation concerns.

Retail investors seemed to agree with the broader market sentiment that Nvidia was "too big to fail." Despite the week's turbulence, the stock traded in a 52-week range of $86.63 to $212.19, with shares around $180 to $182 at publication time. Nvidia was up 30.33% year-to-date and 30.39% over the past year. The stock maintained a stronger price trend over the long term but showed weakness in short and medium-term trends, with a strong growth score overall.

What It All Means

This week's retail investor focus perfectly captures the current market moment: a blend of meme-driven narratives, actual earnings results, and legitimate corporate developments. Black Friday retail excitement, Chinese geopolitical risk, AI infrastructure spending, and semiconductor competition all played roles in driving the conversation.

The fact that these five stocks captured so much attention speaks to how retail investors are thinking right now. They're not just chasing memes anymore (though that still happens). They're engaging with earnings reports, analyzing corporate strategy shifts, and trying to figure out which companies will win the AI infrastructure wars. Whether they're right or wrong, they're paying attention to the stuff that actually matters for long-term value creation.

And that, ultimately, might be the most interesting development of all.