Ever wonder what the most popular stocks to buy are?
To determine which companies are the most popular, you could look at each stock’s daily trading volume and rank accordingly. However, the number of times a stock is traded in a single day can fluctuate dramatically because of recent news or due to the details in a earnings release or financial statement. A small, unpopular company could have extraordinarily high volume on a single day, so this is not a good method of determining popularity.
One alternative method would be to compare the average daily volume over a 3-month period instead. The problem with this method is that popular companies with a high per share cost have low volume. Berkshire Hathaway is a great example of this. With a 6-figure price per share, only a few hundred shares change hands each day. Two more examples of popular stocks with high share prices are Google and Amazon.
So if these two methods aren’t effective ways to rank stocks by popularity, then how should we proceed?
The best method to determine which stocks are the most popular is to multiply the average volume by the current market price per share to obtain the average daily dollar volume. Let’s look at the exchange traded fund SPY, for example, which holds small portions in each of the 500 largest companies listed on the NYSE and NASDAQ. It has a share price of nearly $300 and a 3-month daily average volume of over 100 million shares. Multiply the two and we get the average value in dollars that change hands when trading SPY each day: $30 billion. This makes SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY) the number one most popular stock on the list.
The second most popular stock is Amazon. Amazon has a low average volume, but its expensive share price gives it a very high overall dollar volume. The third most popular stock is another exchange traded fund, Invesco PowerShares QQQ. It tracks the top 100 largest companies on the NASDAQ. The number four most popular stock is Apple, followed by Facebook. Rounding out the top 10 most popular stocks are NVIDIA, Netflix, iShares Russell 2000 ETF, Alibaba Group, and the iShares Emerging Markets ETF.
List of the Most Popular Stocks in 2018
| Rank | Stock Name | Ticker | Industry | Avg Volume | Price | Dollar Volume |
| #1 | SPDR S&P 500 ETF | SPY | Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) | 101980000 | $272.02 | $27,740,599,600 |
| #2 | Amazon.com, Inc. | AMZN | Specialty Retail | 5780000 | $1,609.08 | $9,300,482,400 |
| #3 | PowerShares QQQ ETF | QQQ | Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) | 47350000 | $169.62 | $8,031,507,000 |
| #4 | Apple Inc. | AAPL | Consumer Electronics | 35430000 | $190.04 | $6,733,117,200 |
| #5 | Facebook, Inc. | FB | Internet Information Providers | 35440000 | $185.53 | $6,575,183,200 |
| #6 | NVIDIA Corporation | NVDA | Semiconductor: Specialized | 14840000 | $260.13 | $3,860,329,200 |
| #7 | Netflix, Inc. | NFLX | Media: Diversified | 11070000 | $329.60 | $3,648,672,000 |
| #8 | iShares Russell 2000 ETF | IWM | Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) | 22550000 | $159.53 | $3,597,401,500 |
| #9 | Alibaba Group Holding Limited | BABA | Specialty Retail | 18050000 | $195.96 | $3,537,078,000 |
| #10 | iShares Emerging Markets ETF | EEM | Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) | 67410000 | $47.48 | $3,200,626,800 |
| #11 | Microsoft Corporation | MSFT | Business Software & Services | 32100000 | $97.91 | $3,142,911,000 |
| #12 | Micron Technology, Inc. | MU | Semiconductor: Memory Chips | 54390000 | $52.66 | $2,864,177,400 |
| #13 | Alphabet Inc. | GOOGL | Internet Information Providers | 2250000 | $1,105.47 | $2,487,307,500 |
| #14 | Tesla, Inc. | TSLA | Auto Manufacturers: Major | 7690000 | $305.02 | $2,345,603,800 |
| #15 | Bank of America Corporation | BAC | Money Center Banks | 70250000 | $30.89 | $2,170,022,500 |
| #16 | Alphabet Inc. | GOOG | Internet Information Providers | 1930000 | $1,097.57 | $2,118,310,100 |
| #17 | The Boeing Company | BA | Aerospace/Defense | 5410000 | $344.07 | $1,861,418,700 |
| #18 | JPMorgan Chase & Co. | JPM | Money Center Banks | 15220000 | $114.29 | $1,739,493,800 |
| #19 | iShares MSCI EAFE ETF | EFA | Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) | 23700000 | $71.58 | $1,696,446,000 |
| #20 | Intel Corporation | INTC | Semiconductor: Broad Line | 30520000 | $54.98 | $1,677,989,600 |
| #21 | Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund | XLF | Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) | 58350000 | $28.28 | $1,650,138,000 |
| #22 | SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF | DIA | Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) | 5480000 | $247.46 | $1,356,080,800 |
| #23 | iPath S&P500 VIX Short-Term Futures ETN | VXX | Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) | 36480000 | $36.44 | $1,329,331,200 |
| #24 | iShares iBoxx High Yield Corp Bond ETF | HYG | Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) | 14760000 | $85.76 | $1,265,817,600 |
| #25 | Citigroup Inc. | C | Money Center Banks | 17340000 | $72.57 | $1,258,363,800 |
| #26 | Cisco Systems, Inc. | CSCO | Communication Equipment | 27010000 | $46.30 | $1,250,563,000 |
| #27 | iShares Core S&P 500 ETF | IVV | Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) | 4520000 | $273.90 | $1,238,028,000 |
| #28 | Exxon Mobil Corporation | XOM | Major Integrated Oil & Gas | 15120000 | $81.72 | $1,235,606,400 |
| #29 | iShares China Large-Cap ETF | FXI | Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) | 24780000 | $48.02 | $1,189,935,600 |
| #30 | Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF | XLE | Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) | 15470000 | $76.62 | $1,185,311,400 |
| #31 | ProShares UltraPro QQQ | TQQQ | Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) | 6820000 | $167.00 | $1,138,940,000 |
| #32 | Wells Fargo & Company | WFC | Money Center Banks | 20670000 | $54.65 | $1,129,615,500 |
| #33 | General Electric Company | GE | Diversified Machinery | 75010000 | $14.69 | $1,101,896,900 |
| #34 | Industrial Select Sector SPDR Fund | XLI | Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) | 14550000 | $74.55 | $1,084,702,500 |
| #35 | Visa Inc. | V | Credit Services | 7880000 | $131.00 | $1,032,280,000 |
| #36 | Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF | XLK | Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) | 14740000 | $69.98 | $1,031,505,200 |
| #37 | Twitter, Inc. | TWTR | Internet Information Providers | 30140000 | $32.87 | $990,701,800 |
| #38 | Walmart Inc. | WMT | Discount, Variety Stores | 11810000 | $82.69 | $976,568,900 |
| #39 | Broadcom Inc. | AVGO | Semiconductor: Broad Line | 3990000 | $243.51 | $971,604,900 |
| #40 | The Home Depot, Inc. | HD | Home Improvement Stores | 5080000 | $187.16 | $950,772,800 |
| #41 | iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF | TLT | Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) | 7800000 | $118.93 | $927,654,000 |
| #42 | Comcast Corporation | CMCSA | Entertainment: Diversified | 28590000 | $31.56 | $902,300,400 |
| #43 | Chevron Corporation | CVX | Major Integrated Oil & Gas | 6940000 | $128.82 | $894,010,800 |
| #44 | VanEck Vectors Gold Miners ETF | GDX | Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) | 38510000 | $22.95 | $883,804,500 |
| #45 | Berkshire Hathaway Inc. | BRK-B | Property & Casualty Insurance | 4370000 | $201.20 | $879,244,000 |
| #46 | AT&T Inc. | T | Telecom Services: Domestic | 27470000 | $31.88 | $875,743,600 |
| #47 | Caterpillar Inc. | CAT | Farm & Construction Machinery | 5650000 | $153.97 | $869,930,500 |
| #48 | Johnson & Johnson | JNJ | Drug Manufacturers: Major | 6940000 | $125.35 | $869,929,000 |
| #49 | SPDR Gold Shares | GLD | Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) | 6860000 | $125.18 | $858,734,800 |
| #50 | Amgen Inc. | AMGN | Biotechnology | 5000000 | $170.77 | $853,850,000 |
| #51 | Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETF | XLU | Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) | 16580000 | $50.31 | $834,139,800 |
| #52 | UnitedHealth Group Incorporated | UNH | Health Care Plans | 3510000 | $233.71 | $820,322,100 |
| #53 | The Walt Disney Company | DIS | Entertainment: Diversified | 8050000 | $101.68 | $818,524,000 |
| #54 | Applied Materials, Inc. | AMAT | Semiconductor Equip. & Materials | 14590000 | $55.53 | $810,182,700 |
| #55 | salesforce.com, inc. | CRM | Application Software | 6160000 | $130.62 | $804,619,200 |
| #56 | Pfizer Inc. | PFE | Drug Manufacturers: Major | 22650000 | $35.04 | $793,656,000 |
| #57 | Mastercard Incorporated | MA | Credit Services | 4110000 | $193.05 | $793,435,500 |
| #58 | McDonald’s Corporation | MCD | Restaurants | 4800000 | $165.07 | $792,336,000 |
| #59 | Baidu, Inc. | BIDU | Internet Information Providers | 2940000 | $268.68 | $789,919,200 |
| #60 | The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. | GS | Investment Brokerage: National | 3230000 | $243.44 | $786,311,200 |
| #61 | Verizon Communications Inc. | VZ | Telecom Services: Domestic | 16330000 | $47.20 | $770,776,000 |
| #62 | Square, Inc. | SQ | Internet Software & Services | 13920000 | $54.65 | $760,728,000 |
| #63 | Lam Research Corporation | LRCX | Semiconductor Equip. & Materials | 3690000 | $204.01 | $752,796,900 |
| #64 | Consumer Staples Sel. Sector SPDR | XLP | Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) | 14890000 | $49.54 | $737,650,600 |
| #65 | Oracle Corporation | ORCL | Application Software | 15680000 | $46.93 | $735,862,400 |
| #66 | AbbVie Inc. | ABBV | Drug Manufacturers: Major | 7090000 | $102.85 | $729,206,500 |
| #67 | The Procter & Gamble Company | PG | Personal Products | 9930000 | $73.15 | $726,379,500 |
| #68 | International Business Machines | IBM | Information Technology Services | 4960000 | $144.24 | $715,430,400 |
| #69 | SPDR S&P Oil & Gas Exp. & Prod. ETF | XOP | Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) | 17200000 | $41.58 | $715,176,000 |
| #70 | Vanguard 500 Index Fund | VOO | Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) | 2840000 | $249.86 | $709,602,400 |
| #71 | Adobe Systems Incorporated | ADBE | Application Software | 2940000 | $241.15 | $708,981,000 |
| #72 | Spotify Technology S.A. | SPOT | Broadcasting: Radio | 4440000 | $158.13 | $702,097,200 |
| #73 | iShares iBoxx $ Invmt Grade Corp Bd ETF | LQD | Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) | 6060000 | $115.06 | $697,263,600 |
| #74 | Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. | AMD | Semiconductor: Broad Line | 57300000 | $12.13 | $695,049,000 |
| #75 | Merck & Co., Inc. | MRK | Drug Manufacturers: Major | 11900000 | $58.06 | $690,914,000 |
| #76 | Health Care Select Sector SPDR Fund | XLV | Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) | 8420000 | $81.81 | $688,840,200 |
| #77 | iShares U.S. Real Estate ETF | IYR | Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) | 8800000 | $77.96 | $686,048,000 |
| #78 | QUALCOMM Incorporated | QCOM | Communication Equipment | 12450000 | $54.97 | $684,376,500 |
| #79 | PayPal Holdings, Inc. | PYPL | Credit Services | 8470000 | $79.19 | $670,739,300 |
| #80 | iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF | IEMG | Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) | 11610000 | $57.45 | $666,994,500 |
| #81 | VanEck Vectors Semiconductor ETF | SMH | Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) | 6300000 | $105.22 | $662,886,000 |
| #82 | iShares MSCI Brazil Capped ETF | EWZ | Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) | 15060000 | $41.86 | $630,411,600 |
| #83 | Consumer Discr. Select Sector SPDR Fund | XLY | Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) | 5920000 | $104.67 | $619,646,400 |
| #84 | Union Pacific Corporation | UNP | Railroads | 4350000 | $141.26 | $614,481,000 |
| #85 | Texas Instruments Incorporated | TXN | Semiconductor: Broad Line | 5570000 | $109.97 | $612,532,900 |
| #86 | Lowe’s Companies, Inc. | LOW | Home Improvement Stores | 7140000 | $85.07 | $607,399,800 |
| #87 | NXP Semiconductors N.V. | NXPI | Semiconductor: Broad Line | 6110000 | $99.29 | $606,661,900 |
| #88 | DowDuPont Inc. | DWDP | Chemicals: Major Diversified | 9010000 | $66.95 | $603,219,500 |
| #89 | United Technologies Corporation | UTX | Aerospace/Defense | 4800000 | $124.10 | $595,680,000 |
| #90 | 3M Company | MMM | Diversified Machinery | 2900000 | $205.03 | $594,587,000 |
| #91 | Vanguard Emerging Markets Index Fund | VWO | Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) | 12620000 | $46.27 | $583,927,400 |
| #92 | Celgene Corporation | CELG | Biotechnology | 7010000 | $82.38 | $577,483,800 |
| #93 | iShares MSCI Japan ETF | EWJ | Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) | 9480000 | $60.82 | $576,573,600 |
| #94 | Altaba Inc. | AABA | Asset Management | 7300000 | $75.90 | $554,070,000 |
| #95 | CVS Health Corporation | CVS | Health Care Plans | 8780000 | $62.44 | $548,223,200 |
| #96 | The Coca-Cola Company | KO | Beverages: Soft Drinks | 12810000 | $42.18 | $540,325,800 |
| #97 | Lockheed Martin Corporation | LMT | Aerospace/Defense | 1660000 | $324.49 | $538,653,400 |
| #98 | Morgan Stanley | MS | Investment Brokerage: National | 9780000 | $55.04 | $538,291,200 |
| #99 | Wynn Resorts, Limited | WYNN | Resorts & Casinos | 2670000 | $201.51 | $538,031,700 |
| #100 | Philip Morris International Inc. | PM | Cigarettes | 6400000 | $83.00 | $531,200,000 |