Which stocks have the most retail activity on their options chain?

Hi All,

Just curious if there is a way to determine which securities have the most retail investors participating on either the underlying or on the corresponding options chain?

Looking for both total volume and retail as a percentage of all trading.

Thanks!

 

Google it. Tesla was 50% of all equity options but nvda overtook it.

 

My guess would be QQQ

 

Thanks for the reply! Where did you see that? From what I googled I can see NVDA, TSLA, PLTR, and AAPL up there but I'm not sure if that is retail volume only or if it includes institutional as well. I'd like to isolate retail

 

Thanks! Ya that is probably up there, just wondering if there is a concrete way to determine that. I'd also think TSLA, NVDA, PLTR might be up there due to retail speculation.

I'd also want to see if any securities have more retail trading that institutional, but that would probably only be penny stocks

 

option odd lots it's a ticker symbol


ai

The ticker symbol odd lots option typically refers to information about odd-lot transactions in stock or options markets.

What It Tells You:

1. Odd-Lot Orders:
   
   • An odd lot is a trade involving a number of shares or contracts that is less than the standard lot size (usually 100 shares for stocks or 1 contract for options).
   • The presence of odd-lot orders can indicate retail trading activity rather than institutional interest.
2. Market Sentiment & Retail Participation:
   
   • Many retail investors trade in odd lots due to smaller capital allocation.
   • A surge in odd-lot transactions could indicate heightened retail interest in a stock or option.
3. Liquidity & Order Flow Insights:
   
   • If a stock or option sees unusual odd-lot activity, it may indicate that retail traders are piling in or liquidating positions.
   • Institutions typically trade in round lots (multiples of 100 shares), so a high odd-lot volume suggests that smaller investors are active.
4. Odd-Lot Premium or Discount:
   
   • Sometimes, odd-lot orders execute at slightly worse prices than round-lot trades due to liquidity constraints.
   • This can provide insight into the execution quality and potential order book imbalances.

Odd-Lot Trading & Market Trends

• If you see increased odd-lot trading in options, it could mean that retail traders are speculating heavily.
• Conversely, in a declining market, rising odd-lot sell orders might signal panic selling from small investors.

 

I don't know for certain my guess is whatever is the meme stock du jour that has liquidity in the stock & options. TSLA PLTR would be my guess. I think like a few months ago it was probably NVDA MSTR COIN HOOD bitcoin miners. It probably still is.

 

Start here Most Active Stock Options | OptionCharts. Look at the buy/sell spread too- a narrow spread also means that you 'should' have decent liquidity