August 2020 is shaping up to be the best month of August for Wall Street in more than 30 years. The S&P 500 is up 7.2% for the month, and the Nasdaq Composite has surged 9.2%. The relative strength in the large-cap Nasdaq names isn’t lost on financial advisors, who continue to show strong interest in names like Apple (AAPL), Tesla (TSLA), and Amazon (AMZN).
As COVID-19 cases continue to rise, biotech is another important focal point for financial advisors, according to TrackStarIQ Rankings. While Sorrento Therapeutics (SRNE) was the most researched ticker among all individual stocks, Innovio Pharmaceuticals (INO), Novavax (NVAX), and iBio (IBIO) are also among the top 20 stock tickers in August as well. Biotechnology was also the most heavily researched industry group, followed by application software and diagnostics & research.
On the ETF front, SPDR 500 Trust (SPY) and Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) are seeing the most engagement. The precious metal group has also been an important theme, as VanEck Vectors Gold Mining ETF (GDX), iShares Silver Fund (SLV), and SPDR Gold Trust (GLD) are getting a fair share of eyeballs as well. Lastly, the top ETF categories are large-cap equities, leveraged equities, and precious metals.
Below please find the complete rankings of top 20 stocks, industry groups, exchange traded funds, and ETF categories by financial advisor engagement in August 2020:
Top Stocks by Total FA Traffic (August 2020):
Top Industry Groups by FA Traffic (August 2020):
| Rank | Industry Group |
| 3 | Diagnostics & Research |
| 2 | Software – Application |
| 1 | Biotechnology |
Top ETF by Total FA Traffic (August 2020):
Top ETF Categories by FA Traffic (August 2020):
| Rank | ETF Category |
| 3 | Precious Metals |
| 2 | Leveraged Equities |
| 1 | Large Cap Growth Equities |
| Rank (Verified FA Traffic) | Top 20 Researched Stocks by Financial Advisors in August | Top 20 Researched Industry Groups by Financial Advisors in August | Top 20 Researched ETFs by Financial Advisors in August | Top 20 Researched ETF Categories by Financial Advisors in August |
| 1 | SRNE | Biotechnology | SPY | Large Cap Growth Equities |
| 2 | INO | Software – Application | QQQ | Leveraged Equities |
| 3 | TSLA | Diagnostics & Research | GDX | Precious Metals |
| 4 | AAPL | Auto Manufacturers | SLV | Materials |
| 5 | IBIO | Internet Retail | GLD | Small Cap Growth Equities |
| 6 | NIO | Semiconductors | IWM | Leveraged Commodities |
| 7 | INO | Internet Content & Information | XLF | Technology Equities |
| 8 | XSPA | Software – Infrastructure | TLT | All Cap Equities |
| 9 | MVIS | Medical Devices | TQQQ | Government Bonds |
| 10 | AMZN | Drug Manufacturers – Specialty & Generic | XLK | Health & Biotech Equities |
| 11 | WORK | Consumer Electronics | GUSH | Financials Equities |
| 12 | BABA | Conglomerates | ARKK | Oil & Gas |
| 13 | SMTI | Entertainment | NUGT | Industrials Equities |
| 14 | TRVN | Oil & Gas E&P | USO | MLPs |
| 15 | GEVO | Specialty Chemicals | ARKW | Large Cap Blend Equities |
| 16 | WKHS | Aerospace & Defense | AMLP | Europe Equities |
| 17 | RKT | Communication Equipment | DGAZ | Energy Equities |
| 18 | HTBX | Scientific & Technical Instruments | JNUG | Emerging Markets Equities |
| 19 | NVAX | Specialty Retail | IJH | Global Equities |
| 20 | AMRS | Oil & Gas Midstream | DIA | Small Cap Blend Equities |