Why 2025 was a breakout year for retail investors

Group 1 - Retail investors are experiencing a breakout year, investing nearly double the 5-year average and 53% above last year's levels according to JP Morgan [1] - The primary strategy for retail investors has been buying the dip during major sell-offs, such as the panic in late January and the tariff announcement in April [2] - Retail investors have shifted from individual stocks to ETFs starting in May, indicating a strategic rotation in their investment approach [3] Group 2 - Retail investors are also capitalizing on gold and silver investments, while still pursuing major tech stocks like Nvidia, Tesla, Google, and Microsoft, but net selling shares of Meta and Apple [3] - Fidelity reported a record high of 654,000 401k millionaires, the highest since the early 2000s, with the share of millionaire accounts doubling since late 2022 [4]