The U.S. stock market wrapped up the day showing mixed signals—Dow riding high while Nasdaq struggled to keep pace. In this choppy environment, retail investors and traders couldn't resist flocking to a handful of marquee stocks that grabbed headlines.

Broadcom was the standout performer after dropping solid quarterly numbers. The semiconductor giant's revenue beat expectations, sparking fresh interest from the retail crowd looking for momentum plays. When big-cap tech delivers like this, it tends to ripple through investor sentiment, even catching attention beyond just Wall Street.