Retail investors talked up five hot stocks in this truncated week (June 29 to July 2) on X and Reddit’s r/WallStreetBets, driven by retail hype, earnings, listings, AI infrastructure momentum, and corporate/geopolitical news flow.
Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ:META), Palantir Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ:PLTR), Micron Technology Inc. (NASDAQ:MU), Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (NASDAQ:SPCX), and Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), spanning social media, semiconductors, software/cloud, cybersecurity, and hardware, reflected strong retail interest.
Meta Platforms
- Meta Platforms made headlines this week, primarily for its reported plans to launch an AI cloud/compute business, selling excess capacity from its massive data center buildout, which boosted its stock but sparked AI overcapacity fears and pressured chip stocks. Other updates included the quiet rollout of its new AI-powered “Pocket” app for mini-games, insights into its data centers, Threads feature additions, nearing 500M users, and Mark Zuckerberg‘s comments on the journey to superintelligence amid slower-than-expected AI agent progress.
- Some retail investors were joking about Meta’s announcement and how it caused all technology stocks to tumble.
- The stock had a 52-week range of $520.26 to $796.25, trading around $581 to $586 per share, as of the publication of this article. It declined by 18.31% over the year and 10.38% in the last six months. The stock was also down 11.69% YTD.
- META had a weak price trend in the medium, short, and long terms, with a solid quality score as per Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings.
Palantir Technologies
- PLTR saw strong retail and investor attention, driven by CEO Alex Karp’s CNBC appearance discussing a new strategic initiative with Nvidia Corp. (NASDAQ:NVDA) for deploying open models in sovereign environments, alongside broader AI momentum and partnerships. The stock rallied notably after Michael Burry closed half his short position, though it faced ongoing 2026 volatility amid AI sector rotation concerns.
- Some retail investors believed that the Magnificent 7 stocks would advance over the next two weeks, while software stocks like PLTR would be a “runner up.”
- The stock had a 52-week range of $106.37 to $207.52, trading around $128 to $130 per share, as of the publication of this article. It declined 2.13% over the year and 22.97% in the last six months. The stock dropped 27.26% YTD.
- Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings showed that PLTR had a weak price trend in the long, short, and medium terms, with a poor value score.
Micron Technology
- Micron Technology remained in the spotlight this week, riding momentum from its strong third quarter. Also, Burry disclosed a short position in Micron Technology, calling it a potential “destroyer of capital” amid AI hype concerns, even as President Donald Trump has praised the company. Trump highlighted Micron’s $250 million commitment to “Trump Accounts” (a kids’ savings initiative) and its role in AI/memory supply, boosting visibility for the stock despite recent volatility and broader chip sector rotation.
- Despite Burry’s short position, a few retail investors were still very bullish on memory stocks.
- The stock had a 52-week range of $103.38 to $1,064.64, trading around $974 to $978 per share, as of the publication of this article. It surged 701.35% over the year, higher by 209.29% over the last six months, and up 241.81% YTD.
- MU maintains a strong price trend over the long, short, and medium terms with a solid growth score, as per Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings.
Space Exploration Technologies
- SpaceX continued experiencing post-IPO volatility, with shares fluctuating amid profit-taking, short interest rising to ~31% of float, and broader tech sentiment shifts. Ongoing buzz included upcoming Nasdaq-100 inclusion, potentially driving major ETF inflows by early July, strong Starlink/AI growth forecasts, and high retail trading interest from the record IPO. Trump-related mentions and lockup concerns also featured in discussions.
- Some retail investors were awaiting the upside in SPCX as it was poised to join the Nasdaq 100 index on Monday.
- The stock has traded in the range of $147.11 to $225.64 since listing, and closed at $162.00 per share on Thursday. It has advanced by 8.00% since June 12, 2026.
- SPCX has had a weak price since the time it listed, as per Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings.
Apple
- AAPL was in focus amid reports of plans for at least five new iPhone models in late 2026/early 2027 and ramped-up foldable iPhone production targeting ~10 million units, signaling aggressive lineup expansion despite memory shortages. Other updates included ongoing talks about price hikes on devices tied to higher memory costs. The company also reportedly explored options for blacklisted Chinese chips amid supply pressures.
- Some retail investors were doubtful of AAPL stock’s potential gains going into the next week.
- The stock had a 52-week range of $201.50 to $317.40, trading around $307 to $309 per share, as of the publication of this article. It advanced by 45.28% over the year, 13.88% over the last six months, and 13.53% YTD.
- According to Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings, AAPL was maintaining a strong price trend over the short, medium, and long terms, with a good quality score.
Retail focus blended AI infrastructure momentum, earnings, and corporate news-driven narratives with broader market action during the week.
Image via Shutterstock
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