Retail investors talked up five hot stocks this week (Dec. 15 to Dec. 19) on X and Reddit's r/WallStreetBets, driven by earnings, retail hype, AI buzz, and corporate news flow.



The stocks, PayPal Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:PYPL), Trump Media &amp; Technology Group Corp. (NASDAQ:DJT), Micron Technology Inc. (NASDAQ:MU), Rivian Automotive Inc. (NASDAQ:RIVN), and Nike Inc. (NYSE:NKE), spanning finance, crypto, semiconductors, AI, automotive, and sports, reflected diverse retail interests.



<h2>PayPal Holdings</h2>



<ul>
<li>PayPal’s key developments centered on its Dec. 15 announcement of applications to establish “PayPal Bank,” a Utah-chartered industrial loan company, aiming to directly accept deposits and issue loans amid a more open U.S. regulatory environment for fintechs. This sparked mixed reactions, with shares dipping slightly mid-week before Morgan Stanley’s Dec. 18 downgrade, citing sluggish growth prospects through 2028. </li>
</ul>



<ul>
<li>Some retail investors were mocking Morgan Stanley’s downgrade following PYPL’s banking application.</li>
</ul>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img width="664" height="182" src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/19035738/PYPL-RDDT-1.png?x-oss-process=image/auto-orient,1/interlace,1/resize,w_1440,h_1440/quality,q_95/format,jpg" alt="A comment on r/WallStreetBets subreddit. " original-src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/19035738/PYPL-RDDT-1.png"/><figcaption>Source: Reddit</figcaption></figure>



<ul>
<li>The stock had a 52-week range of $55.85 to $93.24, trading around $58 to $60 per share, as of the publication of this article. It was down 31.03% year-to-date and 31.50% over the year.</li>
</ul>



<ul>
<li>The stock had a weaker price trend in the short, medium, and long terms, with a moderate value ranking, as per Benzinga's Edge Stock Rankings. Other performance details are available here.</li>
</ul>



<h2>Trump Media &amp; Technology Group</h2>



<ul>
<li>DJT announced a $6 billion all-stock merger with nuclear fusion company TAE Technologies, aimed at developing utility-scale fusion power plants to meet AI-driven energy demands. The deal, expected to close in mid-2026, would make shareholders of each company own about 50% of the combined entity, with TMTG as the holding company for Truth Social and TAE’s operations. </li>
</ul>



<ul>
<li>Some retail investors were still bullish on DJT after the news.</li>
</ul>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img width="668" height="142" src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/19035832/DJT-RDDT-1.png?x-oss-process=image/auto-orient,1/interlace,1/resize,w_1440,h_1440/quality,q_95/format,jpg" alt="A comment on r/WallStreetBets subreddit. " original-src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/19035832/DJT-RDDT-1.png"/><figcaption>Source: Reddit</figcaption></figure>



<ul>
<li>The stock had a 52-week range of $10.18 to $43.45, trading around $14 to $16 per share, as of the publication of this article. It was down 56.32% year-to-date and 58.03% over the year.</li>
</ul>



<ul>
<li>Benzinga's Edge Stock Rankings showed that the stock had a weaker price trend in the short, medium, and long terms. Additional performance details are available here.</li>
</ul>



See Also: Broadcom, Oracle, Netflix, And More: 5 Stocks Investors Couldn’t Stop Buzzing About This Week



<h2>Micron Technology</h2>



<ul>
<li>MU was dominated by pre-earnings anticipation followed by its fiscal first quarter 2026 results on Dec. 17, where the company reported strong beats on revenue and EPS, driven by soaring AI-related memory demand and tight supply. </li>
</ul>



<ul>
<li>Retail investors were bullish on MU after its earnings.</li>
</ul>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img width="669" height="146" src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/19035942/MU-RDDT-1.png?x-oss-process=image/auto-orient,1/interlace,1/resize,w_1440,h_1440/quality,q_95/format,jpg" alt="A comment on r/WallStreetBets subreddit. " original-src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/19035942/MU-RDDT-1.png"/><figcaption>Source: Reddit</figcaption></figure>



<ul>
<li>The stock had a 52-week range of $61.54 to $264.75, trading around $248 to $252 per share, as of the publication of this article. It was up 184.61% year-to-date and 184.61% over the year.</li>
</ul>



<ul>
<li>The stock had a stronger price trend in the short, medium, and long terms, with a solid quality ranking, as per Benzinga's Edge Stock Rankings. Other performance details are available here.</li>
</ul>



<h2>Rivian Automotive</h2>



<ul>
<li>RIVN focused on continued market reaction to its Dec. 11 Autonomy &amp; AI Day revelations, including the in-house autonomy chip and software subscription plans, with shares fluctuating amid mixed analyst views. Later in the week, it expanded hands-free assisted driving and rolled out new software updates that give drivers more control and customization across Gen 1 and Gen 2 vehicles.</li>
</ul>



<ul>
<li>Some investors were calling RIVN the new PLTR.</li>
</ul>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img width="672" height="150" src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/19040022/RIVN-RDDT-1.png?x-oss-process=image/auto-orient,1/interlace,1/resize,w_1440,h_1440/quality,q_95/format,jpg" alt="A comment on r/WallStreetBets subreddit. " original-src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/19040022/RIVN-RDDT-1.png"/><figcaption>Source: Reddit</figcaption></figure>



<ul>
<li>The stock had a 52-week range of $10.36 to $20.33, trading around $20 to $22 per share, as of the publication of this article. It was up 53.06% YTD and 55.28% over the year.</li>
</ul>



<ul>
<li>According to Benzinga's Edge Stock Rankings, it was maintaining a stronger price trend over short, medium, and long terms, with a moderate growth ranking. Additional performance details are available here.</li>
</ul>



<h2>Nike</h2>



<ul>
<li>NKE shares plummeted after reporting the second-quarter results on Thursday despite beating estimates. Management issued a cautious outlook defined by shrinking margins and deepening struggles in China during the second-quarter earnings call. </li>
</ul>



<ul>
<li>Retail investors were largely bearish on NKE.</li>
</ul>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img width="670" height="150" src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/19040056/NKE-RDDT-1.png?x-oss-process=image/auto-orient,1/interlace,1/resize,w_1440,h_1440/quality,q_95/format,jpg" alt="A comment on r/WallStreetBets subreddit. " original-src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/19040056/NKE-RDDT-1.png"/><figcaption>Source: Reddit</figcaption></figure>



<ul>
<li>The stock had a 52-week range of $52.28 to $82.44, trading around $58 to $65 per share, as of the publication of this article. It was down 10.91% year-to-date but 14.88% over the year.</li>
</ul>



<ul>
<li>It maintains a weaker price trend over the short, medium, and long terms, with a strong growth score, as per Benzinga's Edge Stock Rankings. Additional performance details are available here.</li>
</ul>



Retail focus blended meme-driven narrative with earnings outlook and corporate news flow, as the S&amp;P 500, Dow Jones, and Nasdaq largely witnessed mixed market action during the week.



Read Next:



<ul>
<li>META, NFLX, CRM, And More: 5 Stocks That Dominated Investor Buzz This Week</li>
</ul>



Image via Shutterstock

PYPL

RIVN

Retail investors focused on five stocks: PYPL, DJT, MU, RIVN, and NKE, driven by earnings, retail hype, AI buzz, and corporate news. PYPL faced mixed reactions after its banking application and a Morgan Stanley downgrade. DJT announced a merger with TAE Technologies. MU reported strong earnings due to AI demand. RIVN expanded its autonomy features. NKE shares fell despite beating estimates, with concerns over margins and China.

- Retail investors highlighted five stocks, including PayPal, Trump Media, Micron Technology, Rivian Automotive, and Nike, driven by earnings and market news.  
- PayPal announced plans for a bank, while DJT engaged in a merger with TAE Technologies; Micron reported strong earnings, and Rivian focused on AI advancements amidst mixed analyst opinions.  
- Nike faced bearish sentiment after cautious earnings results, reflecting a blend of meme-driven enthusiasm and corporate developments as overall market movement remained mixed.

PYPL, DJT, MU And More: 5 Stocks Investors Couldn't Stop Buzzing About This Week