The top stocks and funds to buy according to DIY investors
Nvidia dropped out of Interactive Investor’s top ten most-bought stocks in January for the first time in six months as investors veered away from US megacaps
Every month, we look at the stocks, funds and investment trusts that DIY investors have bought through investment platforms.
Interactive Investor, the UK’s second-largest investing platform for private investors, has revealed a shift away from US stocks, with only one US-listed company making the top ten for most-bought stocks, funds and investment trusts on its platform during January.
Most notably, this means Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) dropped off the list of most-bought stocks on Interactive Investor’s platform for the first time since June 2025.
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Nvidia’s shares fell around 8% in the three months to 2 February, as concerns over a possible artificial intelligence (AI) bubble mount.
“Buying interest in the world’s most valuable company which has been at the heart of the AI frenzy has waned, hand in hand with its share price performance,” said Victoria Scholar, head of investment at Interactive Investor.
DIY investors’ top stock picks for January
Instead of the US megacaps, investors piled into FTSE 100 heavyweights like Rolls-Royce (LON:RR.), Glencore (LON:GLEN) and Fresnillo (LON:FRES). Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) was the only non-FTSE 100 stock on the list.
| Row 0 - Cell 0 | Equity |
1 | Rolls-Royce |
2 | Glencore |
3 | Fresnillo |
4 | Microsoft |
5 | Legal & General |
6 | Lloyds Banking |
7 | Diageo |
8 | BP |
9 | BAE Systems |
10 | Aviva |
Source: Interactive Investor
“Shares in dividend payers like Legal & General (LON:LGEN), Lloyds (LON:LLOY), BP (LON:BP.) and Diageo (LON:DGE) retained their spots among the most bought list of stocks last month,” said Scholar. “The backdrop of global geopolitical instability also supported demand for miners like Glencore and defence stocks like Rolls Royce.”
The omission of Nvidia wasn’t universal. It came second, behind Tesla, on the list of the most-bought stock on Freetrade during January.
| Row 0 - Cell 0 | Equity |
1 | Tesla |
2 | Nvidia |
3 | Microsoft |
4 | Micron Technology |
5 | Strategy |
6 | Alphabet |
7 | Amazon |
8 | AST SpaceMobile |
9 | IREN |
10 | Rolls-Royce |
Source: Freetrade
“Growth and momentum are still squarely in focus for retail investors,” said Freetrade analyst Duncan Ferris. “Megacap tech dominance tells us the AI narrative continues to drive interest despite growing analyst concerns over ballooning spending and return on investment.”
DIY investors’ top funds for January
Meanwhile, investors’ top fund picks during January reflected a risk-averse approach. Gold funds were popular choices on both platforms, as were money market funds, but no US-focused regional funds made the top ten list on either platform.
These were the most-bought funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) on Interactive Investor during January:
| Row 0 - Cell 0 | Active Open-Ended Fund | Index Fund or ETF |
1 | Artemis Global Income | Acc | iShares Physical Silver ETC |
2 | Royal London Short Term Money Market | Acc | iShares Physical Gold ETC |
3 | Jupiter Gold & Silver | Global X Silver Miners ETF |
4 | Artemis SmartGARP European Equity | Vanguard LifeStrategy 80% Equity |
5 | Artemis SmartGARP UK Equity | Vanguard S&P 500 UCITS ETF | Acc |
6 | Royal London Short Term Money Market | Dis | Vanguard FTSE All-World UCITS ETF |
7 | Artemis Global Income | Dis | Vanguard FTSE Global All Cap Index |
8 | Ranmore Global Equity Institutional | Vanguard S&P 500 UCITS ETF | Dis |
9 | Ninety One Global Gold | HSBC FTSE All World Index |
10 | Artemis SmartGARP Global EM Equity | WisdomTree Physical Silver |
Source: Interactive Investor
The most-bought funds on Freetrade during January were:
| Row 0 - Cell 0 | Fund |
1 | Vanguard LifeStrategy 100% Equity Fund Acc |
2 | Vanguard Short-Term Money Market Fund Acc |
3 | Royal London Short-Term Money Market Fund Acc |
4 | Vanguard LifeStrategy 60% Equity Fund Acc |
5 | Artemis Global Income Fund Acc |
6 | HSBC FTSE ALL World Index Fund Acc |
7 | Vanguard FTSE Global All Cap Fund Acc |
8 | abrdn Sterling Money Market Fund Acc |
9 | Vanguard LifeStrategy 40% Equity Fund Acc |
10 | Ninety One Global Gold Fund Acc |
Source: Freetrade
Vanguard LifeStrategy funds, which offer different proportions of equity to bond exposure, were popular choices across both platforms.
“The strong presence of set-and-forget style products and heavily diversified index funds indicates investors are positioning for the long-term,” said Ferris.
The most-bought investment trusts in January
Interactive Investor also publishes the most-bought investment trusts on its platform.
| Row 0 - Cell 0 | Investment Trust |
1 | Scottish Mortgage |
2 | Greencoat UK Wind |
3 | Seraphim Space |
4 | BlackRock World Mining |
5 | City of London |
6 | Polar Capital Technology |
7 | Temple Bar |
8 | Henderson Far East Income |
9 | 3i Group |
10 | NextEnergy Solar |
Source: Interactive Investor
Tech and innovation-focused Scottish Mortgage (LON:SMT) took top spot, while the presence of Seraphim Space (LON:SSIT) and Polar Capital Technology Trust (LON:PCT) also confounded the risk-off picks seen in investors’ stock and fund picks.
Read our explainers on investment funds and the best investment trusts for beginners for more information and inspiration for your portfolio.
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