S&P/ASX All Ordinaries Index (ASX: XAO) shares lifted 0.77% to a record 9,173.2 points amid news of lower unemployment yesterday.
The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) also hit a new peak of 8,899.1 points, up 0.82%, on Thursday.
Meanwhile, new data released by wholesale trading platform provider AUSIEX reveals some interesting insights into investor activity.
These insights include the top 10 ASX shares being bought by Australian investors in the new financial year.
AUSIEX accounts for a third of the wholesale trading market in Australia.
The provider analysed a sample of a large cohort of its trading data to discover which ASX shares are in the buy zone for investors.
The data is split between retail investors (that's us ordinary folk) and advised investors (those who can afford professional advice).
It's interesting to see the differences in favoured stocks for investment between advised and non-advised investors.
Image source: Getty Images
CBA shares a point of contention
Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA) features in the top 10 ASX shares purchased by retail investors in July.
However, the market's biggest stock did not make the top 10 shares bought by advised investors.
In fact, AUSIEX said CBA was one of the most heavily sold shares among advised investors in July.
This is reflective of the large number of sell or hold ratings from professional analysts on CBA shares today.
This follows the ASX 200 bank stock's astronomical 85% rise between November 2023 and the end of FY25, when it peaked.
Lots of experts think it's time to take profits on CBA shares, and the AUSIEX data suggests advised investors are heeding that message.
Value-focused investing?
It's noteworthy that the No. 1 stock picks among retail and advised investors are companies that have had a poor run in recent years.
This suggests some value-focused buying in the hopes of upside in FY26.
The favourite among retail investors is the ASX 200 lithium share, Pilbara Minerals Ltd (ASX: PLS).
The Pilbara Minerals share price is currently $2.21, down 58% over the past two years.
The favourite among advised investors is the blue chip ASX 200 healthcare giant, CSL Ltd (ASX: CSL).
The CSL share price is $272.20, up just 2.2% over the past two years.
AUSIEX said retail investors focused on ASX resources companies and a few bank shares in July.
By contrast, advised investors bought a more diversified portfolio of ASX industrial shares.
Let's check out the rest of the top 10 most bought ASX shares.
Retail investors: Top 10 ASX shares bought in July
| 1 | Pilbara Minerals Ltd (ASX: PLS) |
| 2 | DroneShield Ltd (ASX: DRO) |
| 3 | Boss Energy Ltd (ASX: BOE) |
| 4 | BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP) |
| 5 | Mineral Resources Ltd (ASX: MIN) |
| 6 | Fortescue Ltd (ASX: FMG) |
| 7 | Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA) |
| 8 | Appen Ltd (ASX: APX) |
| 9 | Northern Star Resources Ltd (ASX: NST) |
| 10 | Westpac Banking Corp Ltd (ASX: WBC) |
