Top 10 bought stocks: May 2026

The most-bought stocks on Freetrade show users getting behind big tech in a big way, with Nvidia, Microsoft, and Alphabet leading the charge. But what’s the story behind the top 10? Find out more below.

Remember that this list is not meant as investment advice. Instead, it is simply an insight into the most popular stocks on Freetrade right now.

Top traded stocks methodology: The rankings are based on the total executed value of buy orders placed by Freetrade customers from 1 April to 30 April 2026. The figures reflect buy-side activity only and do not account for sales, holding periods, or individual portfolio weightings.

While last month’s top stocks indicated a defensive streak creeping into Freetrade investors’ behaviour, it appears users are feeling a bit more bullish now.

Hot chips

Nvidia is a regular fixture of Freetrade users’ most bought stocks, but the inclusion of AMD and Micron Technology points to broader momentum for chip stocks. 

What’s behind Freetrade users’ enthusiasm? 

First, sector bellwether ASML raised revenue due to accelerating demand for its chip manufacturing equipment, bolstering sentiment in the space. 

For its part, Micron was riding high on the back of Q2 earnings that showed a 196% increase in YoY revenue, significant margin expansion across all business segments, and a buff to its dividend. 

Q3 outperformance from AI memory chip competitor SanDisk may strengthen investor interest. 

To cap this off, late in the month, earnings from tech giants indicated yet more increases to AI infrastructure spending. In particular, Alphabet and Meta both revised their capital expenditure projections higher. 

In short, the market appeared to return several bullish signals for chipmakers, and some Freetrade users seem to have responded with gusto. 

Anyway, speaking of big tech earnings…

Keeping faith 

The final week of April saw crucial earnings updates from Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon, Meta, Tesla, and Apple. 

And this matters, why? After all, quarterly earnings are, well, quarterly. 

It matters because Freetrade users held faith with all six companies, buying more than they sold of each in what was a key period. Key because the capital expenditure mentioned in the last section has been raising alarm bells. 

Back in January and February, concerns around spiralling AI spending were a consistent undercurrent in market commentary around Silicon Valley firms. The warning was that shareholders needed some clearer evidence or assurance that this was going to pay off. 

Three months later, these tech giants remain popular among Freetrade users even as AI spend continues to expand. 

The data might not tell us which specific earnings lines investors were reacting to, but it does tell us something loud and clear…

Freetrade users have not been sufficiently spooked to back off from the long-term growth narrative around the biggest names in big tech.

Seeing-stones

Creeping in at number 10 is Palantir. It’s fair to say many Freetrade users have bought the stock despite the business’s status as corporate boogeyman of the moment. 

Why is the company so controversial? 

Well, looking at the UK, a good starting point is the data firm’s major contracts with the Ministry of Defence, the Financial Conduct Authority, several police forces, and the NHS. 

This has left some commentators and politicians uneasy about the firm’s access to sensitive data, and how its remit spans from personal data such as medical records, through to military applications. 

These concerns are likely sharpened by Palantir’s outspoken leadership, with CEO Alex Karp openly branding the company as “anti-woke”, as well as use of its technology by controversial military and law enforcement organisations like ICE and the Israeli military.

For its part, Palantir has denied having access to personal medical records or other proprietary data, arguing that its products simply allow clients to organise and understand data they already have. 

Amid the noise, many Freetrade investors have kept buying ahead of the company’s Q1 earnings. 

Perhaps Palantir's appearance in the top 10 this month suggests that the company's growth story is a compelling counterbalance to the noise from critics.

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