Schwab clients were net buyers, using late-month dips to add exposure across individual stocks, ETFs, and options

Key Takeaways:

  • The Schwab Trading Activity Index™ (STAX) increased to 59.80 in July, up slightly from its score of 59.12 in June.
  • Clients remained net buyers in July, using late-month dips to add exposure across individual stocks, ETFs, and options.
  • The strongest buying interest came from two clear groups: Gen X clients, who continued to lead net buying by age cohort, and self-directed traders, whose bullish activity accelerated during the month.

The Schwab Trading Activity Index™ (STAX) increased to 59.80 in July, up slightly from its score of 59.12 in June. The only index of its kind, the STAX is a proprietary, behavior-based index that analyzes retail investor stock positions and trading activity from Schwab’s millions of client accounts to illuminate what investors were actually doing and how they were positioned in the markets each month.