Retail Investor Buying of Single Stocks Hits Two-Year Low

Retail investors have significantly reduced their activity in the stock market, with single-stock purchases dropping to $1 billion over the last 20 trading days, marking a near two-year low. According to The Kobeissi Letter, total retail equity purchases have fallen to $10 billion over the same period, a 67% decline from the $30 billion recorded in February 2026. Data indicates a divergence between institutional and retail behavior, as institutions purchased $4.1 billion in US equities during the week ending September 18th, while retail investors recorded their eighth consecutive week of net selling, averaging $1.9 billion in outflows per week over the last month.