Retail investors talked up five hot stocks this week (Dec. 29 to Jan. 2) on X and Reddit's r/WallStreetBets, driven by retail hype, AI buzz, and corporate news flow.

The stocks, Target Corp. (NYSE:TGT), Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd. (NYSE:TSM), Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL), IREN Ltd. (NASDAQ:IREN), Strategy Inc. (NASDAQ:MSTR), spanning retail, semiconductor, AI, cloud, and crypto, reflected diverse investor interests.

Target

• TGT was in focus last week after activist investor Toms Capital Investment Management acquired a significant stake in the retailer. Investors reacted positively to the news, viewing the activist stake as a potential catalyst for operational changes to unlock long-term value. In response to the report, Target reaffirmed its commitment to "getting back to growth" and improving its merchandise and shopping experience.

• Some retail investors were seen implying that Target requires a turnaround but calling out the quality of service at its stores.

• The stock had a 52-week range of $83.44 to $145.08, trading around $97 to $99 per share, as of the publication of this article. It declined by 28.75% in 2025 and by 7.30% in the last six months.

• The stock had a stronger price trend in the short and medium terms, with a weak trend in the long term, as per Benzinga's Edge Stock Rankings. Other performance details are available here.

Taiwan Semiconductor

• Taiwan Semiconductor received a U.S. annual export license for chipmaking tools to its Nanjing facility, while Nvidia Corp. (NASDAQ:NVDA) approached TSM to ramp up H200 AI chip production for surging Chinese demand in 2026.

• Some retail investors were bullish on TSM ahead of its earnings release later this month.

• The stock had a 52-week range of $134.25 to $313.98, trading around $303 to $305 per share, as of the publication of this article. It returned 50.75% in 2025 and up 30.09% in the last six months.

• Benzinga's Edge Stock Rankings showed that the stock had a stronger price trend in the short, medium, and long terms, with a strong quality score. Additional performance details are available here.

See Also: AST SpaceMobile, Nike, Nvidia And More: 5 Stocks Investors Couldn’t Stop Buzzing About This Week

Alphabet

• GOOG shares posted the best performance among its megacap peers since 2025 and topped the returns of its Magnificent 7 peers—driven by AI advancements in Gemini, strong cloud growth, and Waymo progress.

• Retail investors were highly bullish on GOOG after a stellar year.

• The stock had a 52-week range of $142.66 to $328.67, trading around $313 to $315 per share, as of the publication of this article. It was up by 64.61% in 2025 and 74.57% over the last six months.

• It maintains a stronger price trend over the short, medium, and long terms, with a solid quality score, as per Benzinga's Edge Stock Rankings. Additional performance details are available here.

IREN

• IREN was in focus this week after the U.S. floated the idea of using Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant for cryptocurrency mining as part of broader negotiations with Russia. A potential shift of mining operations overseas could reduce U.S. bitcoin production, contradicting President Donald Trump‘s earlier pledge to ensure bitcoin is “mined, minted and made in the U.S.”

• Retail investors who took a position in IREN at higher stock prices were seen contemplating their decision despite its 200% plus rally in 2025.

• The stock had a 52-week range of $5.12 to $76.87, trading around $36 to $38 per share, as of the publication of this article. It rose 261.09% in 2025 and 261.09% over the last six months.

• The stock had a stronger price trend in the long term but a weak trend in the short and medium terms, with a moderate value ranking, as per Benzinga's Edge Stock Rankings. Other performance details are available here.

Strategy

• MSTR announced on Dec. 29 the purchase of 1,229 Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) for ~$108.8 million, funded by stock sales, boosting holdings to 672,497 BTC amid year-end recaps highlighting a tough 2025. On Jan. 1, the company posted a New Year’s message emphasizing its AI/data analytics focus for 2026 rather than Bitcoin.

• Retail investors were cautious about taking a position in MSTR after its 2025 performance.

• The stock had a 52-week range of $151.42 to $457.22, trading around $150 to $152 per share, as of the publication of this article. It was down by 49.35% in 2025 and 62.23% over the last six months.

• According to Benzinga's Edge Stock Rankings, it was maintaining a weaker price trend over short, medium, and long terms, with a poor value ranking. Additional performance details are available here.

Retail focus blended meme-driven narrative with earnings outlook and corporate news flow, as the S&P 500, Dow Jones, and Nasdaq largely witnessed negative market action, missing the Santa Claus rally during the week.

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