New study reports
Online interest in global stock markets has surged across the United Arab Emirates, with searches for major technology firms reaching record highs amid rising geopolitical tensions and new trade tariffs set by US President Donald Trump.
Searches for the phrase “is Trump good for the stock market” jumped 170% over the past month following Trump’s announcement of a fresh tariff deadline on August 1, 2025.
At the same time, searches for “should I sell Tesla stock now” rose by more than 5,000%, as the electric vehicle firm’s share price came under pressure after Trump called Tesla CEO Elon Musk a “train wreck” in response to his political ambitions.
In this context of uncertainty, new data from financial analysts at BrokerChooser shows that UAE investors are increasingly turning their attention to a small number of US-listed technology stocks.
The forex broker specialists at BrokerChooser conducted a study to determine the most Googled stocks worldwide. To begin, they created a seed list featuring the 50 largest companies by market capitalisation, based on data from CompaniesMarketCap.com.
Using the keyword analytics platform Ahrefs, the team examined average monthly Google search volumes for each company, both globally and within key English-speaking countries, including the US, UK, Canada, and Australia.
The study also incorporated stock market participation data by country, sourced from Visual Capitalist. All data was gathered on July 8, 2025, and reflects information available as of that date.
The research, based on Google search volume analysis, reveals that Nvidia is now the most searched stock in the UAE, attracting nearly 90,000 monthly searches. Tesla follows in second place with just over 53,000.
Amazon ranked third in the UAE, with 13,600 monthly searches. Analysts have recently revised the company’s outlook upwards, citing growth in its cloud division, Amazon Web Services, driven by developments in AI infrastructure.
Meta and Palantir complete the top five most searched stocks in the UAE, generating 10,650 and 10,200 searches, respectively. Both companies have been active in the AI space. Meta confirmed a $14.3 billion investment in Scale AI this June, while Palantir’s government contracts and data-focused operations continue to draw investor attention.
The data reflects growing regional engagement with global equity markets and increased interest in artificial intelligence, which has become a dominant driver of stock valuations in 2025.
Nvidia’s sharp rise in online attention coincides with the company becoming the world’s first firm to hit a $4 trillion valuation earlier this month, amid soaring demand for AI chips. Globally, the stock is searched around 14.6 million times each month.
Tesla continues to attract substantial regional attention despite recent turbulence. Search interest in the company has increased by 147.5% year-on-year in the UAE. This mirrors heightened investor anxiety following Musk’s political rift with Trump, which some analysts have linked to short-term declines in the firm’s stock price. In North America, Tesla remains the most searched stock, with over 7 million queries in the US alone.
Beyond search interest, the study sheds light on broader trends in global stock market participation. According to Visual Capitalist, the US has the world’s highest equity ownership rate, with 55% of the population invested in stocks. Canada (49%) and Australia (37%) follow. The UK ranks fourth, with a 33% market share and approximately 22 million shareholders.
The UAE does not appear in the top rankings, reflecting limited domestic participation in equity markets compared to Western countries. Analysts attribute these disparities to differences in financial infrastructure, cultural attitudes toward risk, and levels of financial literacy.
BrokerChooser’s Adam Nasli noted that in countries with low investment rates—such as Morocco, Mexico, and the Philippines—barriers like limited disposable income and weak financial education often discourage stock ownership. In such markets, people may prefer physical assets such as property or gold over equities, particularly in uncertain economic conditions.
He added that the popularity of stocks like Nvidia and Tesla in the UAE might indicate a shift toward greater retail investor participation, particularly among younger, digitally connected residents.
The findings are based on search data collected on July 8, 2025, using the Ahrefs analytics platform. The study focused on 50 of the largest companies by market capitalisation and analysed global search volumes alongside figures from key English-speaking markets.
As the August tariff deadline approaches, investors across the Gulf are expected to remain focused on large-cap US tech stocks, which have come to symbolise both the promise and risk of the current economic cycle.
Image: According to Visual Capitalist, the US has the world’s highest equity ownership rate, with 55% of the population invested in stocks. Credit: Artem Podrez
