Top 20 Equity Options Traded
in May 2025
June 10, 2025
In May 2025, U.S. equity markets posted strong gains, led by a tech-fueled rally. The Nasdaq surged 9.56%, its best monthly performance in over a year, while the S&P 500 rose 6.15% and the Dow gained 3.94%. The rally was driven by solid earnings from mega-cap tech names and renewed optimism around global trade. The Nasdaq’s standout performance was largely attributed to strong showings from companies like Apple, Alphabet, Amazon, and Nvidia—beneficiaries of easing trade tensions and continued AI infrastructure investments.
One of the biggest catalysts was a mid-month U.S.–China tariff truce, with both countries scaling back punitive measures and reopening bilateral trade talks. The easing of tariff pressure gave markets a broad confidence boost, especially for semiconductor and export-heavy tech firms. Meanwhile, President Trump’s visits to Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Qatar resulted in major investment pledges—$600 billion from Saudi Arabia and $1.4 trillion from the UAE—benefiting U.S. energy, defense, and aerospace sectors. These developments helped industrials and companies like Boeing, which landed a major jet deal with Qatar Airways, outperform.
At the sector level, tech and aerospace soared, while consumer and service stocks like McDonald’s gained on domestic growth signals, including summer hiring plans. However, healthcare and managed care stocks lagged, pressured by wage policy discussions and pricing reform uncertainty. Despite the bullish tone, some caution remained in markets following global economic growth downgrades from the World Bank and OECD. European political shifts, such as Germany’s new chancellor Friedrich Merz and geopolitical tensions in South Asia, added to global market complexity.
Looking ahead, investors remain cautiously optimistic. The strong May gains have reset expectations, but continued volatility is likely as the Federal Reserve's rate path, inflation pressures, and lingering trade policy uncertainty evolve. While May marked a clear “risk-on” pivot, driven by earnings and diplomacy, markets are still digesting the broader implications of slowing global growth and shifting geopolitical alliances. June may test the sustainability of this momentum.
The chart below visualizes ETF performance related on the Dow, Nasdaq and S&P indices for the month of May 2025.
Below are the most active 20 equity symbols based on the number of option trades in eOption accounts in May 2025. Note that we do not make trade recommendations and are sharing this solely for your interest.
- Nvidia (NVDA) – Crushed earnings with explosive AI-driven data center growth, cementing its leadership in the AI chip race.
- Tesla (TSLA) – Faced delivery slumps in Europe and China amid Musk’s political drama and growing Cybertruck inventory.
- Booking.com (BKNG) – Rode strong travel demand and broader consumer strength as global mobility picked up post-trade thaw.
- Netflix (NFLX) – Continued streaming growth supported by global expansion and optimism around ad-tier monetization.
- Palantir Technologies (PLTR) – Gained momentum on government contracts and its growing role in AI-enabled defense analytics.
- Meta Platforms (META) – Benefited from strong ad revenue and early traction from new AI-driven content discovery features.
- Apple (AAPL) – Rallied with Big Tech peers on tariff easing and steady hardware/services growth ahead of WWDC.
- MicroStrategy (MSTR) – Volatile with Bitcoin swings; maintained bullish sentiment on institutional crypto adoption.
- UnitedHealth Group (UNH) – Pressured by policy concerns over healthcare pricing and reimbursement reforms.
- Amazon (AMZN) – Saw e-commerce rebound and cloud strength, aided by improving logistics and global trade stability.
- Robinhood Markets (HOOD) – Traded higher as retail trading volume spiked on AI and tech stock speculation.
- Microsoft (MSFT) – Continued strong performance in Azure and AI tools, especially after OpenAI integration updates.
- Super Micro Computer (SMCI) – Rode the AI infrastructure wave, benefiting from hyperscaler and GPU server demand.
- Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) – Gained on new AI chip launches and data center momentum despite Nvidia dominance.
- Costco (COST) – Held steady on resilient consumer spending and expansion of its private-label and fuel programs.
- Coinbase (COIN) – Moved with Bitcoin volatility, but benefited from increasing institutional participation.
- CoreWeave (CRVW) – Expanded rapidly with new data center projects and deeper Nvidia integration for AI workloads.
- Boeing (BA) – Jumped on major Gulf-region jet orders and rising global defense investment.
- Intel (INTC) – Rebounded slightly amid signs of foundry progress and participation in national semiconductor policy efforts.
- Alphabet (GOOGL) – Advanced on strong ad growth, cloud momentum, and AI product rollouts across its ecosystem.
Can June continue the positive trend? We’ll pick up the story in next month’s report.
Stay informed and trade well.
Share this Post
This information provided for general informational purposes only and should not be considered recommendations or advice by eOption. Past performance is not indicative of future results.
Options trading involves risk and is not suitable for all investors. Options trading privileges are subject to eOption review and approval. Please review the Characteristics and Risks of Standardized Options brochure and the Supplement before you begin trading options.
Investing involves risks, and investment decisions should be based on your own goals, time horizon, and tolerance for risk. The return and principal value of investments will fluctuate as market conditions change. When sold, investments may be worth more or less than their original cost.
Options involve risk and are not suitable for all investors. Prior to trading options, you must be approved for options trading and read the Characteristics and Risks of Standardized Options. A copy may also be requested via email at support@eoption.com or via mail to eOption, 950 Milwaukee Ave., Ste. 102, Glenview, IL 60025.