Robinhood's Steve Quirk on prediction markets: The fastest growing business we've ever had

Core Insights - Robinhood is focusing on prediction markets and artificial intelligence to enhance customer engagement and trading experiences [1][3] - The company has seen record highs in equity trading, options trading, margin balances, and deposits, indicating strong customer activity [3][4] - The introduction of prediction markets has generated significant interest, with 600 million contracts traded during the election period last year [5][6] Trading Activity - Robinhood's customer base is primarily young, with many in their early 30s, who are actively investing in top technology stocks, including several AI-related companies [3][4] - The top traded stocks on the platform include Tesla, Nvidia, Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, Palantir, Meta, Ford, and GameStop [4] Prediction Markets - The prediction market segment has rapidly grown, with approximately 1,300 contracts currently traded across various categories, including entertainment, economic indicators, and sports [6][10] - The company views prediction markets as a distinct offering that differs from traditional gambling, appealing to a diverse audience [8][9] Future Developments - Robinhood plans to enhance its AI tools, such as the Cortex platform, to help users discover investment opportunities and analyze market patterns [3][10] - An upcoming AI event on December 16 will showcase new capabilities related to these tools [3] Market Position - Robinhood is positioned as a leading distribution platform in the prediction market space, with 26 million customers expressing interest in this category [13][14] - The company aims to expand internationally, targeting markets where participation in trading is currently low, such as Asia and Europe [16][17]