Online trading platform provider, Stake has revealed the top six most traded ASX shares by its retail clients in calendar year 2025.
All six are in the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO), with the No. 1 stock ascending into the benchmark index in September.
Let's take a look.
Most traded ASX shares of the year
1. DroneShield Ltd (ASX: DRO)
ASX defence share Droneshield is benefitting from rising global defence spending amid ongoing geopolitical tensions.
The Droneshield share price is up 316% in the year-to-date (YTD).
According to Stake's 2025 Retail Investor Report Card:
DroneShield spent 2025 swinging between euphoria and fear.
After rallying to fresh highs mid-year on the back of booming global demand for counter-drone technology, the stock unwound much of those gains as short interest climbed and investors questioned valuation froth.
Sentiment soured in November when CEO Oleg Vornik sold more than $49M of shares. In the same month, the company withdrew recent U.S. military deal announcements and its U.S. CEO Matt McCrann resigned.
DRO's share price fell over 70% from its October high to December.
2. PLS Group (ASX: PLS)
Formerly known as Pilbara Minerals, PLS Group is the market's largest pure-play ASX lithium share.
PLS Group shares are up 89% YTD.
Stake analysts summed up PLS Group's performance in 2025:
After spending much of the year battling the same headwinds facing the broader lithium sector, Pilbara Minerals closed 2025 on a bullish note.
Between June and December the stock price surged over 200% as lithium market sentiment improved and EV demand lifted.
Industry-wide production cuts also helped stabilise lithium prices by mid-2025, setting the stage for a rebound.
As of December, the PLS share price is up over 80% since the start of the year. It's a welcome end to a tough stretch that began in late 2023.
3. Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA)
CBA remains the largest company on the ASX by market capitalisation despite a 12.7% fall in the second half of CY25.
The CBA share price is up 5% overall in the year to date.
The ASX bank stock hit an all-time high of $192 in late June before tumbling in the second half.
According to Stake's 2025 Retail Investor Report Card:
Australia's biggest bank ended the year flat, despite a June surge that pushed the stock more than 30% higher.
CBA stock stumbled in November after earnings results missed expectations, with the bank blaming growing competition, higher technology costs and lower interest rates on shrinking margins.
Despite challenges, CBA lifted its total paid dividend in 2025 to $4.85.
4. BHP Group (ASX: BHP)
The market's largest ASX iron ore share hit a 52-week high of $46.03 per share this month.
BHP, which is also now the world's largest copper producer, has seen its share price increase 12.8% YTD.
Stake analysts said:
BHP had a stop-start year as softer iron-ore and coal prices weighed on earnings, dragging underlying profit down 26% to June 2025.
The miner grabbed headlines with takeover talks involving mining company Anglo American before ultimately walking away, reassuring investors the company would stick to its organic growth strategy.
Strength in copper, a metal central to the global electrification push, along with bolstered iron ore prices, helped offset some of the weakness.
By year-end, BHP's share price was recovering alongside improving commodity sentiment.
5. Fortescue Ltd (ASX: FMG)
The market's second largest ASX mining share is up 17% in the YTD.
Stake analysts commented:
Fortescue moved in near lockstep with the iron-ore market in 2025, dipping early in the year before recovering on revived steel demand out of China.
Investors continued to grapple with the company's transition away from its green-energy ambitions after a series of executive departures in late 2024.
Still, impressive earnings results and the prospect of another sizable dividend helped support the stock, and FMG finished the year in better shape than where it started.
In 2025, it paid an annual dividend of $1.10.
6. CSL Ltd (ASX: CSL)
CSL remains the largest ASX healthcare share by market cap despite a 39% plunge in CY25.
According to Stake's report:
It was a bruising year for CSL shareholders.
Despite posting higher underlying profit, investors recoiled at plans to spin out its vaccine arm and cut more than 3,000 jobs globally.
Concerns over the restructuring weighed heavily on the stock, which slid more than 30% across the year.
CSL argued the overhaul would sharpen its focus on high-growth plasma therapies, but the market remained cautious.
Shares only faced further pressure after the firm downgraded FY26 revenue and profit guidance in late October.
