Retail investors talked up five hot stocks this week (June 15 to June 18) on X and Reddit’s r/WallStreetBets, driven by retail hype, earnings, listings, AI infrastructure momentum, and corporate/geopolitical news flow.
Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (NASDAQ:SPCX), Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ:MSFT), Netflix Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX), Intel Corp. (NASDAQ:INTC), and Achieve Life Sciences Inc. (NASDAQ:ACHV), spanning space, semiconductors, software/cloud, AI chips, streaming, and pharma, reflected strong retail interest.
Space Exploration Technologies
- SpaceX shares, fresh off its record $75 billion IPO priced at $135 and debuting June 12, continued strong momentum early in the week before pulling back. Earlier in the week, its market cap surpassed that of Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN). It also announced the acquisition of the AI coding startup Anysphere Inc. ("Cursor"), in an all-stock deal valued at an implied equity value of $60 billion, according to a Form 8-K filed Tuesday.
- Many retail investors were skeptical of SPCX stock’s meteoric rise following its listing.

- The stock has traded in the range of $149.34 to $225.64 this week, and closed at $185 per share on Thursday. It has advanced by 23.33% since its listing.
- SPCX has had a strong price since the time it listed last Friday, as per Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings.
Microsoft
- MSFT shares traded in a volatile range this week, roughly $393–$400 area, experiencing modest pullbacks amid broader market rotation and profit-taking. The spotlight was on the TechCon 365 Chicago conference (June 15–19), a key Microsoft 365, Power Platform, and AI/Copilot event featuring sessions on Copilot agents, Azure, SharePoint, and enterprise tools. A potential $3 billion deal for Microsoft to lease Oracle Corp.‘s (NASDAQ:ORCL) cloud infrastructure was reportedly halted because Oracle lacks the FedRAMP security compliance required to handle U.S. government data, though Oracle disputed the claim and insisted its partnership remains strong. Meanwhile, billionaire investor Bill Ackman announced that he has deployed nearly 85% of capital from his closed-end fund, seizing on a bifurcated market to buy tech behemoths like Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ:META) and Microsoft that investors are dismissing as "old-fashioned."
- Many retail investors are bullish on MSFT, particularly for its AI potential, and are buying calls and shares.

- The stock had a 52-week range of $356.28 to $555.45, trading around $379 to $380 per share, as of the publication of this article. It declined by 21.00% over the year and 21.61% in the last six months. The stock was also down 21.55% YTD.
- MSFT had a weak price trend in the medium, short, and long terms, with a solid quality score as per Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings.
Netflix
- Netflix was a major topic of discussion among retail investors this week, primarily due to its recent stock dip, perceived undervaluation, and ongoing merger and acquisition rumors. While Wall Street fretted over a perceived growth slowdown, Futurum Equities’ Shay Boloor argued the market is misreading the business, presenting what he calls a massive "opportunity" right now for savvy traders, as the stock hit its lowest valuation multiple in nearly four years at 25 times earnings. Meanwhile, Paramount Skydance (NASDAQ:PSKY) reportedly alleged that Netflix is attempting to undermine its proposed $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery (NASDAQ:WBD).
- Retail investors were also convinced that NFLX stock was available at a cheap price.

- The stock had a 52-week range of $75.01 to $134.12, trading around $77 to $78 per share, as of the publication of this article. It declined 36.69% over the year and 17.68% in the last six months. The stock dropped 17.47% YTD.
- Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings showed that NFLX had a weak price trend in the long, short, and medium terms, with a solid growth score.
Intel
- INTC shares surged sharply mid-to-late week, driven by President Donald Trump’s announcement that Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) agreed to partner with Intel on designing and manufacturing chips in the U.S. The company also announced the appointment of Seok-Hee Lee as EVP of Intel Foundry to lead advanced packaging and manufacturing acceleration, while detailing 18A-P process milestones entering risk production at the VLSI Symposium.
- A few retail investors were still bullish on the stock, following the positive news flow.

- The stock had a 52-week range of $18.97 to $135.48, trading around $133 to $134 per share, as of the publication of this article. It surged 523.50% over the year, higher by 269.32% over the last six months, and up 263.12% YTD.
- INTC maintains a strong price trend over the long, short, and medium terms, as per Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings.
Achieve Life Sciences
- ACHV’s stock was in focus among retail investors, weeks after its promising clinical trial results for a new nicotine cessation drug and its Breakthrough Therapy Designation from the FDA. The FDA has granted the drug Breakthrough Therapy Designation, which could expedite its review. The company is also conducting trials for vaping cessation, showing early promise.
- Investors were optimistic about its market potential.

- The stock had a 52-week range of $2.0000 to $6.1600, trading around $4 to $5 per share, as of the publication of this article. It advanced by 54.46% over the year, and 11.75% over the last six months, and dropped 2.41% YTD.
- According to Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings, ACHV was maintaining a strong price trend over the short, medium, and long terms.
Retail focus blended AI infrastructure momentum, earnings, and geopolitical news-driven narratives with positive market action during the week.
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