Retail investors on Robinhood are leaning into emerging trends, like cryptocurrency, artificial intelligence and income exchange-traded funds (ETFs), according to Stephanie Guild, the platform’s chief investment officer.
While Tesla and NVIDIA continue to be the most popularly traded, Ripple (XRP) has surged to the top of the platform’s crypto leaderboard in recent weeks, according to Guild.
“I’d say on the crypto side, it’s been starting to be a little more rising popularity, but Ripple’s been the most popular over the last few weeks,” she said in a recent interview, pointing to a noticeable uptick in interest across the board.
Defense Stocks Are Also Creeping Into the Mix
Robinhood’s proprietary investor index, which tracks user holdings over time, shows that nearly 20% of the portfolio is parked in AI-related stocks. That’s a big chunk, and it reflects a growing appetite for long-term bets on transformative technologies, especially among Robinhood’s younger user base, whose average age is just 34.
“It used to be a lot more of, like, the Mag7s and the things that they know and use, like Disney and Apple, and those things used to be at the top. And now you’re starting to see, like, those things start to drop and more of this theme coming in,” she explained.
Aerospace and defense names now make up about 3% of the index. While still a small slice, Guild sees this as a sign of shifting investor sentiment amid rising geopolitical tensions and increased government spending in the sector.
ETFs Emerge as a Quiet Favorite Among Retail Investors
Income-focused ETFs are also gaining traction. Guild observed that a subset of the platform’s customers has recently gravitated toward ETFs designed to deliver steady returns.
“I think they [Robinhood’s customers] play the volatility really well. I think they’re very savvy. […] They can take longer-term views and sort of play the volatility. So if there is a big dip, if things start, then they do buy,” Guild noted.
The trends echo broader moves in institutional portfolios. Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway, for instance, has trimmed its Apple stake while boosting exposure to homebuilders and insurers, like UnitedHealth, suggesting a shift toward more defensive and income-generating assets.
