Retail investors still buying

Motley Fool’s 2026 Investor Outlook polled 2,000 individual investors in November 2025 and reported that 68% of Gen Z and 64% of millennials intend to increase stock allocations this year versus 39% of baby boomers. (fool.com) The same Motley Fool survey found 65% of respondents described themselves as bullish on AI-related stocks and 57% said artificial intelligence will be the primary driver of market growth over the next five years. (fool.com) Market-impact data cited by IndexBox noted a recent Barclays estimate that retail traders injected roughly $50 billion into global equities in a single month, and MEMX reports retail activity accounts for about 30–37% of daily U.S. equity trading volume. (indexbox.io (memx.com)) Advisors quoted in The Hindu BusinessLine say AI outputs are prone to error and recommend using models as a “launchpad” for further analysis, with explicit prompt engineering and human verification required before placing real-money trades. (thehindubusinessline.com) FINRA’s 2026 Annual Regulatory Oversight Report includes a standalone section on generative AI and directs firms to adopt governance, supervisory testing, monitoring and recordkeeping when deploying AI tools. (finra.org) The SEC’s Investor Advisory Committee voted to recommend guidance that would require issuers to disclose material AI-related impacts, signaling heightened regulatory scrutiny of AI-driven claims and disclosures. (sec.gov) Bloomberg has developed finance‑focused large language models such as BloombergGPT — a 50‑billion‑parameter model trained on extensive financial data — illustrating the advanced AI tools now available to market participants and advisors. (bloomberg.com)