The impact of the Robinhood platform on the trading indicators of the US stock markets (Wall Street)

To the Council of the College of Administration and Economics University of Karbala, as a part of the requirements for obtaining a master’s degree in financial and banking sciences

Master’s thesis submitted by

Esraa Abdullah Talib

Assistant Professor Dr.

Haider Abbas Abdullah Al Janabi

Assistant Professor Dr.

Ameer Ali Khaleel Almosawi

Abstract

This study aimed to explore and analyze the impact of the Robinhood platform on trading indicators in the American financial markets. Then, it explains the role of the platform in attracting large companies to list on it and encouraging many traders to be among its largest investors. This activity led to a high level of trading on this platform, making it a major player and a major competitor to the largest stock markets in the United States of America. The independent variable of the study represents the general index of the Robinhood platform, and the dependent variable included the basic American financial market indicators, including the market capitalization index, the number of shares index, and the number of transactions index. Study data were collected weekly from 2013 to 2022, with 520 observations. The statistical methods used in the study included measures of dispersion and central tendency. The ARDL (Autoregressive Distributed Lag Analysis) model was used to analyze the study data using the EViews program. The study reached a set of conclusions that were built on theoretical and analytical results, the most important of which are: The Robinhood platform has a positive role in enhancing the democratic character of financial markets by providing trading. Zero commission and an easy-to-use interface lowered traditional barriers. The study also concluded with a set of recommendations, the most important of which are: Staying up to date with the latest developments related to the Robinhood platform and its user base. This includes news monitoring and market analysis, as well as following up on regulatory actions that may affect the platform’s operations. This effort can help understand the evolving dynamics and potential shifts in trading indicators.