What 100 days of Trump 2.0 has meant for investors
interactive investor recorded four of its busiest days for trading volumes during the period amid tariff-driven market volatility.
29th April 2025 12:02
by Myron Jobson from interactive investor
- Buy/sell ratio for most-traded investments during first 100 days of Trump 2.0 (20 January – 29 April 2025): 61% buys, 39% sells
- ‘It’s a reminder that while volatility can rattle nerves, it also presents opportunities for those willing to take a long-term view’
- interactive investor is launching a three-day commission-free trading offer on US shares to coincide with the busiest period of US earnings.
The first 100 days of Donald Trump’s second term have brought levels of market volatility not seen since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 or the 2008 financial crisis.
Four of the busiest trading days on interactive investor, the UK’s second-largest DIY investment platform, were recorded during this period (20 January – 29 April 2025).
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The busiest day for trading volumes was recorded on 7 April 2025, in the aftermath of Trump’s tariff announcements (made on the evening of 2 April BST), which triggered widespread declines in global markets.
This new record came just three days after the previous peak. Trading volumes were 36% higher than the former record and 52% higher than the third-busiest day on record: 9 November 2020, when Pfizer announced its Covid-19 vaccine breakthrough.
Top five busiest trading days on interactive investor
Position | Date | Event |
1 | 7 April 2025 | Trump's tariffs |
2 | 4 April 2025 | Trump's tariffs |
3 | 9 November 2020 | Pfizer's Covid-19 vaccine |
4 | 8 April 2025 | Trump's tariffs |
5 | 10 April 2025 | Trump's tariffs |
- Buy/sell ratio for the most-traded investments during the first 100 days of Trump 2.0: 61% buys, 39% sells
- Buy/sell ratio for the most-traded US companies during the same period: 62% buys, 38% sells
Myron Jobson, Senior Personal Finance Analyst, interactive investor, says: “Volatility has been the hallmark of the markets during the first 100 days of Trump’s second term, with investors caught in the crossfire of the tariff wars. The renewed protectionist rhetoric has stirred uncertainty across global supply chains, weighing heavily on sentiment and prompting sharp swings in equity and currency markets alike.
“At interactive investor, we’ve recorded four of our busiest trading days in terms of volume during this period, as many customers sought to capitalise on market dips in the hope of turbocharging their long-term returns. It’s a reminder that while volatility can rattle nerves, it also presents opportunities for those willing to take a long-term view.”
Most-traded and most-bought investments
Richard Hunter, Head of Markets, interactive investor, says: “Bargain hunting and riding momentum waves were two central themes for interactive investor customers in the first 100 days of Trump, as US equity markets dropped, and countries turned to inward-looking strategies in the face of rising geopolitical tensions.”
“NVIDIA Corp (NASDAQ:NVDA) and Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) retained their top two spots in the top 10 most-bought stocks list, despite a difficult time for the so-called ‘Magnificent 7’, with the remaining members Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ:AMZN), Alphabet Inc Class A (NASDAQ:GOOGL), Microsoft Corp (NASDAQ:MSFT), Meta Platforms Inc Class A (NASDAQ:META) and Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL) also making an appearance.”
Most-traded investments and US equities on interactive investor during the first 100 days of Trump 2.0 (20 January – 29 April 2025)
Most-traded investments (overall) | Most-traded US stocks | |||||
Position | Investment | Buys | Sells | Company Name | Buys | Sells |
1 | 70% | 30% | 70% | 30% | ||
2 | 62% | 38% | 65% | 35% | ||
3 | 36% | 64% | 63% | 37% | ||
4 | 65% | 35% | Palantir Technologies Inc Ordinary Shares - Class A (NASDAQ:PLTR) | 59% | 41% | |
5 | 63% | 37% | 69% | 31% | ||
6 | 71% | 29% | 73% | 27% | ||
7 | 56% | 44% | 63% | 37% | ||
8 | 65% | 35% | 56% | 44% | ||
9 | 63% | 37% | 64% | 36% | ||
10 | 69% | 31% | 71% | 29% | ||
Source: interactive investor.
Most-bought investments and US equities on interactive investor during the first 100 days of Trump 2.0 (20 January – 29 April 2025)
Position | Most bought (overall) | Most bought US stocks |
1 | ||
2 | ||
3 | ||
4 | ||
5 | Palantir Technologies Inc Ordinary Shares - Class A (NASDAQ:PLTR) | |
6 | ||
7 | ||
8 | ||
9 | ||
10 |
Source: interactive investor.
What’s next for markets amid US earnings season?
Richard Hunter says: “An uneasy calm has descended on markets, with a sense that no news is good news in respect of any further tariff announcements for the time being at least.
“Left to their own devices without the major distractions of the confusing messages emanating from the White House, investors have gone back to their knitting temporarily and markets have edged slightly higher as a result, although not by enough to repair the damage which has already been wrought. Indeed, in the year to date, the Dow Jones remains down by 5.7%, the benchmark S&P 500 by 6.1% and the Nasdaq by 10.5%, the latter of which will face extra scrutiny over the coming days.
“Updates are due from several members of the Magnificent Seven, with numbers from Meta Platforms, Amazon and Microsoft. In addition, Apple will report amid the uncertainty around sales of its iPhone, especially in China, let alone the effect on its supply chains which have helped to push the shares down by 14% so far this year.
“In addition, there will be further colour added to the state of other pockets of the economy, with updates from the likes of Caterpillar Inc (NYSE:CAT), Mastercard Inc Class A (NYSE:MA), Visa Inc Class A (NYSE:V), Chevron Corp (NYSE:CVX) and Exxon Mobil Corp (NYSE:XOM). The reporting season so far has been a mixed bag, with outlook comments unsurprisingly hesitant and with positive earnings surprises being lower than usual.”
interactive investor US earnings season offer
To coincide with the peak of the US earnings season, interactive investor is launching a three-day commission-free trading offer on US shares.
From Wednesday 30 April to Friday 2 May 2025 (inclusive), both new and existing interactive investor customers can trade US shares with £0 commission on buy and sell orders placed via the ii website and mobile app.
More information can be found here.
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