Q3 top stocks: Retail investors back European stocks while buying the dip with CrowdStrike and Intel

• European stocks including Eni, TotalEnergies and Leonardo dominate top risers list
• CrowdStrike and Intel among top risers as retail investors buy the dip on struggling tech stocks
• Investors continue to back AI chips as AMD joins top 10 most held stocks
• Romanian Investor favoured Nvidia due to its strong position in AI market, while Tesla remains the most held stock

Retail investors on Tuesday jumped on European stocks this quarter while buying up shares of CrowdStrike and Intel as their share prices plunged, according to the latest quarterly stocks data from trading and investing platform eToro.

eToro looked at which companies saw the biggest proportionate change in holders, quarter-on-quarter globally (table 1), while also looking at the 10 most held stocks on the platform (table 2), as well as  most widely held by eToro Romanian users (table 3).

European stocks dominate the Q3 top risers list globally. In first place is Eni, which saw an 80% rise in holders. Investors showed heightened interest in other European energy companies like TotalEnergies (+48%) and Enel (+36%) as well, in addition to banks like Santander (+38%), BNP Paribas (+37%) and Intesa Sanpaolo (+20%). Italian aerospace and defense company Leonardo also saw a significant jump in holders (+41%).

CrowdStrike was the second-highest riser of Q3 with a 64% increase in holders on eToro compared to the end of Q2. Investors took the opportunity to buy the dip, as the cybersecurity firm’s share price fell over 40% in July after a faulty update to its Falcon software caused a mass computer outage that affected business and governments worldwide.

Intel, which despite being one of the biggest chipmakers has so far struggled to benefit from the AI boom, also saw a 20% jump in holders in Q3. Intel’s shares are down 53% year-to-date, after a steep nosedive in August due to a disappointing earnings report that included the suspension of its dividend and mass layoff plans.

Commenting on the data, eToro Market Analyst Sam North, said: “A clear trend we have seen globally since the start of the year is the rising popularity of European stocks. After the ECB cut rates in June, and with some of the Magnificent Seven companies releasing mediocre earnings reports over the summer, investors’ attention turned from American stocks to their cheaper and more rate-sensitive European counterparts.

 “Retail investors also went on a hunt for bargains this past quarter, snapping up stocks whose share prices have taken a big hit. The fact that many investors are able to look past CrowdStrike’s outage and Intel’s poor performance reaffirms their faith in these companies, who still have significant percentages of the cybersecurity and semiconductor markets, and can ride on the growing demand for enterprise IT and AI hardware respectively.”

Semiconductor firm AMD made it into the top 10 most held stocks on the platform this quarter, replacing PayPal in 10th place. Microsoft and Alphabet also edged up, now ranking in 5th and 7th place respectively.

On the other end of the spectrum, German tourism company TUI was the top faller in the third quarter (-96%) as investors cashed in on returns from the peak summer travel season. Other fallers include social network Reddit (21%) whose share price dipped slightly this quarter, and cancer screening startup Grail (21%) amidst a lengthy antitrust lawsuit between its parent company Illumina and the European Commission over the acquisition.

Sam North adds: “This quarter’s top fallers were a mixed bag. On the one hand some investors took profits from TUI, whose share price saw some spikes over a robust summer, leading to a drop in holders. On the other hand, companies like Reddit and Grail, both navigating regulatory and market challenges, saw a smaller yet significant sell-off. Both the top risers and fallers highlight how retail investors are quick to respond to both macroeconomic shifts and sector-specific news.  

“Being reactive to market changes is a valuable skill for any investor. Markets are dynamic, and the ability to quickly assess and adapt to new developments – whether in geopolitics, corporate actions, or economic data – can provide a significant edge in navigating volatility and seizing opportunities.”  

Romanian investors favored Nvidia this quarter as the AI development continues and reduced positions in UiPath as the share price is gravitating around $12. However, despite the recent slump in EV sales worldwide, Tesla remains the most held stock by Romanian investors followed by the Chinese EV manufacturer Nio. In fact, besides the change in positions between Nvidia and UiPath, top 10 remained the same.

Table 1: Shows which stocks have seen the biggest proportional increase and decrease in holders on the eToro platform quarter on quarter

Table 2: Shows stocks most widely held by eToro users globally and their position last quarter

Table 3: Shows stocks most widely held by eToro Romanian users and their position last quarter