Retail investors are getting cold feet about stocks, just when the market needs them most
Published . Updated .
Last week’s carnage for hedge funds highlighted the relative decline in trading activity among retail investors.
Directly affected
- No company is named in this report.
Indirectly affected
- XRT SPDR S&P Retail ETF
SPDR S&P Retail ETF: it holds retailers. Linked by “retail” (retail and consumer goods) in this story.
- XLY Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR+0.3% 16d
Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR: it holds retailers. Linked by “retail” (retail and consumer goods) in this story.
- WMT Walmart+9.9% 30d
Walmart (variety stores): retailers move with shopper spending and import costs. Linked by “retail” (retail and consumer goods) in this story.
- AMZN Amazon.com-2.2% 30d
Amazon.com (catalog and mail-order houses): retailers move with shopper spending and import costs. Linked by “retail” (retail and consumer goods) in this story.
- COST Costco Wholesale+9.2% 30d
Costco Wholesale (variety stores): retailers move with shopper spending and import costs. Linked by “retail” (retail and consumer goods) in this story.
- TGT Target-3.8% 18d
Target (variety stores): retailers move with shopper spending and import costs. Linked by “retail” (retail and consumer goods) in this story.
Price reaction, T-5 to T+3
| Ticker | T-5 | T-3 | T-1 | T0 | T+1 | T+2 | T+3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| XRT | -0.92% | -1.22% | base | +0.73% | after close | after close | after close |
| XLY | +1.18% | +2.13% | base | +1.69% | after close | after close | after close |
| WMT | -0.97% | -1.79% | base | +1.13% | after close | after close | after close |
| AMZN | +5.85% | +5.80% | base | +0.83% | after close | after close | after close |
| COST | -0.74% | -0.46% | base | +0.68% | after close | after close | after close |
| TGT | +0.37% | -0.24% | base | -0.48% | after close | after close | after close |
Closing-price change versus T-1, the last close before the story. T0 to T+3 fill in after each market close. Prices: Alpaca IEX.
Market Call
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Last week’s carnage for hedge funds highlighted the relative decline in trading activity among retail investors.
Source: MarketWatch
Spdr Series Trust (XRT) since this story, compared with the market
| Company | When | Move | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon Com (AMZN) | that day | +0.83% | still updating |
| Amazon Com (AMZN) | three days earlier | +5.80% | final price |
| Amazon Com (AMZN) | five days earlier | +5.85% | final price |
| Costco Wholesale (COST) | that day | +0.68% | still updating |
| Costco Wholesale (COST) | three days earlier | -0.46% | final price |
| Costco Wholesale (COST) | five days earlier | -0.74% | final price |
| Target (TGT) | that day | -0.48% | still updating |
| Target (TGT) | three days earlier | -0.24% | final price |
| Target (TGT) | five days earlier | +0.37% | final price |
| Walmart (WMT) | that day | +1.13% | still updating |
| Walmart (WMT) | three days earlier | -1.79% | final price |
| Walmart (WMT) | five days earlier | -0.97% | final price |
| Select Sector Spdr Tr (XLY) | that day | +1.69% | still updating |
| Select Sector Spdr Tr (XLY) | three days earlier | +2.13% | final price |
| Select Sector Spdr Tr (XLY) | five days earlier | +1.18% | final price |
| Spdr Series Trust (XRT) | that day | +0.73% | still updating |
| Spdr Series Trust (XRT) | three days earlier | -1.22% | final price |
| Spdr Series Trust (XRT) | five days earlier | -0.92% | final price |
Trades by members of Congress and officials in the stocks in this story
- Rep. Jonathan Jackson sold Walmart (WMT) (jointly held), worth $50,001 - $100,000 on 28 Sep 2026. That is 28 days before publication. Filed 19 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Rep. Rohit Khanna bought Walmart (WMT) (held by a spouse), worth $1,001 - $15,000 on 25 Sep 2026. That is 31 days before publication. Filed 7 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Rep. Rohit Khanna sold Walmart (WMT) (held by a dependent child), worth $15,001 - $50,000 on 11 Sep 2026. That is 45 days before publication. Filed 7 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Rep. Michael T. McCaul sold Amazon Com (AMZN) (held by a spouse), worth $1,001 - $15,000 on 28 Aug 2026. That is 59 days before publication. Filed 14 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Rep. Michael T. McCaul sold Amazon Com (AMZN) (held by a spouse), worth $1,001 - $15,000 on 27 Aug 2026. That is 60 days before publication. Filed 14 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Donald J Trump, an executive branch official, bought Amazon Com (AMZN), worth $15,001 - $50,000 on 26 Aug 2026. That is 61 days before publication. Filed 8 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Rep. Rohit Khanna bought Costco Wholesale (COST) (held by a spouse), worth $1,001 - $15,000 on 25 Sep 2026. That is 31 days before publication. Filed 7 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Rep. Richard W. Allen sold Costco Wholesale (COST) (held by a spouse), worth $1,001 - $15,000 on 18 Sep 2026. That is 38 days before publication. Filed 14 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Rep. Rohit Khanna bought Costco Wholesale (COST) (held by a dependent child), worth $1,001 - $15,000 on 11 Sep 2026. That is 45 days before publication. Filed 7 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Rep. Rohit Khanna sold Target (TGT) (held by a spouse), worth $1,001 - $15,000 on 4 Sep 2026. That is 52 days before publication. Filed 7 Oct 2026. View the filing.
Public disclosure filings, not a recommendation. The filing link is the source document. News use of these reports still sits under 5 U.S.C. § 13107(c).
Who gains and who loses around Spdr Series Trust (XRT)
Companies carried with this story
- XRT Spdr Series Trust
Spdr Series Trust (XRT) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence in the 26 Oct 2026 story “Retail investors are getting cold feet about stocks, just when the market needs them most.” Reason on file: SPDR S&P Retail ETF: it holds retailers. Linked by “retail” (retail and consumer goods) in this story
- XLY Select Sector Spdr Tr
In “Retail investors are getting cold feet about stocks, just when the market needs them most,” Select Sector Spdr Tr (XLY) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence. Reason on file: Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR: it holds retailers. Linked by “retail” (retail and consumer goods) in this story
- WMT Walmart
For “Retail investors are getting cold feet about stocks, just when the market needs them most,” Walmart (WMT) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence. Reason on file: Walmart (variety stores): retailers move with shopper spending and import costs. Linked by “retail” (retail and consumer goods) in this story
- AMZN Amazon Com
For “Retail investors are getting cold feet about stocks, just when the market needs them most,” Amazon Com (AMZN) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence. Reason on file: Amazon.com (catalog and mail-order houses): retailers move with shopper spending and import costs. Linked by “retail” (retail and consumer goods) in this story
- COST Costco Wholesale
For “Retail investors are getting cold feet about stocks, just when the market needs them most,” Costco Wholesale (COST) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence. Reason on file: Costco Wholesale (variety stores): retailers move with shopper spending and import costs. Linked by “retail” (retail and consumer goods) in this story
- TGT Target
Target (TGT) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence in the 26 Oct 2026 story “Retail investors are getting cold feet about stocks, just when the market needs them most.” Reason on file: Target (variety stores): retailers move with shopper spending and import costs. Linked by “retail” (retail and consumer goods) in this story
Spdr Series Trust (XRT)
On 26 Oct 2026, “Retail investors are getting cold feet about stocks, just when the market needs them most” is the story that connects Spdr Series Trust (XRT) to this story.
For Spdr Series Trust (XRT), the reason on file says SPDR S&P Retail ETF: it holds retailers. Linked by “retail” (retail and consumer goods) in this story
Also listed, Select Sector Spdr Tr (XLY): Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR: it holds retailers. Linked by “retail” (retail and consumer goods) in this story
Price levels for Spdr Series Trust (XRT)
WMT traded between 103.39 and 122.40 across 20 sessions. The latest close on file is 119.87. XLY traded between 110.56 and 116.21 across 16 sessions. The latest close on file is 113.12. XRT traded between 83.12 and 86.10 across 2 sessions. The latest close on file is 83.23.
What the saved facts support for Spdr Series Trust (XRT)
46 out of 100Price not final
“Retail investors are getting cold feet about stocks, just when the market needs them most” scores 46 out of 100. The score uses 1 sources, and 6 linked companies. The price is not final yet.