Sharesight20 top 20 trades in US stocks for 2020

Each year, Sharesight20 looks back at the top 20 buy and sell trades made by Sharesight users throughout the year. Welcome to the 2020 edition of the Sharesight20USA snapshot, where we explore the top trades users have made in stocks on the Nasdaq, NYSE and AMEX this year, plus the market-moving news behind these stocks.

Sharesight20 top 20 US stocks traded in 2020

This yearly Sharesight20USA snapshot marks the rapid growth of US tech stocks including Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA), Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL), Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) and Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN), as well as the rise of ‘COVID stocks’ such as Zoom (NASDAQ: ZM) and Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX).

Overall, it has been a year of unprecedented growth and record-breaking performance for the Nasdaq, and while the NYSE and AMEX were hit hard by the initial Coronavirus lockdowns in parts of the USA in March, markets have almost buoyed back to pre-pandemic levels as we approach 2021.

Let’s look at the news behind the key stocks in this year’s snapshot:

Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA)

• January: Tesla outstrips Wall Street sales estimates; delivers 112,000 vehicles
• April: Tesla records profit for third consecutive quarter
• July: Tesla share price surges as Q2 profit eclipses analyst expectations
• August: Tesla share price exceeds $2000 ahead of stock split
• October: Tesla confirms plan to spend up to $12b on new electric car and battery factories
• November: Tesla market cap surges past $500b USD as it prepares to debut on S&P 500
• December: Tesla enters S&P 500 at weighting of 1.69%; fifth-largest company

Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL)

• March: Apple fined $2 billion by French anti-competition watchdog
• May: Google and Apple release COVID-19 tracing software
• July: Chinese iPhone sales soar by 225% in Q2
• August: Apple is the first US company to hit $2 trillion market cap
• September: Apple share price reaches record high before split
• November: Apple shares fall despite better-than-expected earnings report
• December: Asian supply chain hit as workers protest over unpaid wages and bonuses

Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT)

• March: Bill Gates steps down from Microsoft board; will remain technical advisor
• July: Microsoft exceeds $50 billion in revenue in FY20
• August: Microsoft the front-runner in bidding war over TikTok
• October: Microsoft reports strong Q1 2021 results: Revenue up by 12%
• December: Microsoft breached in suspected Russian cyber hack via SolarWinds

Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN)

• March: Amazon to hire 100,000 US staff during Coronavirus lockdown
• April: Amazon shares reach record high; company declared "COVID winner"
• July: Amazon under fire over poor treatment of workers during pandemic
• August: Accused of trying to wipe out rivals with consumer protection bill
• November: Amazon’s surveillance of Australian workers may be considered illegal

Walt Disney Co (NYSE: DIS)

• April: Disney stock rises as Disney+ subscriptions exceed 50 million
• November: Positive vaccine news causes Disney stock to jump
• December: Disney stock reaches all-time high; market cap now over $318 billion

Facebook (NASDAQ: FB)

• May: Analysts bullish following launch of Facebook Shop
• June: Companies across the globe declare Facebook ad boycott
• July: Stock price rises due to TikTok troubles
• December: Facebook stock price drops following antitrust lawsuits

Advanced Micro Devices (NASDAQ: AMD)

• January: AMD shares gained 148% in 2019; attributed to superior manufacturing process
• August: AMD share price soars after Q2 earnings released
• September: AMD stock surges following launch of graphics card to compete with Nvidia
• October: AMD to buy rival chip maker Xilinx in $35 million all-stock deal
• December: AMD stock posts all-time high; gains over 100% in 2020

Nio (NYSE: NIO)

• February: COVID causes steep sales drop for Nio
• April: Nio secures $1 billion investment in move to dispel shareholders’ cash flow concerns
• July: Nio records impressive Q2 profits
• August: Share price grows 240% YoY
• October: Nio to develop its own computing chips for autonomous driving
• November: Nio market cap surpasses BMW and General Motors
• December: Nio’s stock price rose over 1,000% in 2020, but is it worth the risk?

Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA)

• June: Mercedes-Benz and Nvidia partner to design next-gen supercomputer for autonomous vehicles
• September: Nvidia to buy phone chip designer Arm Holdings for $40 billion
• October: Nvidia building UK’s most powerful supercomputer for healthcare research (press release)

Alibaba (NYSE: BABA)

• July: Alibaba arm Ant Group seeks IPO in Shanghai and Hong Kong
• August: Alibaba beats earnings expectations; profit fuelled by COVID-related demand
• October: Alibaba to buy 22% of Ant shares in IPO
• November: Alibaba loses almost $60 million in market cap due to retracted Ant IPO
• December: Alibaba fined for antitrust violations in a first for Chinese government

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Disclaimer: The above article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute a product recommendation, or taxation or financial advice and should not be relied upon as such. Always check with your financial adviser or accountant to obtain the correct advice for your situation.

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