Retail Investor

individual investor who buys small amounts of stock or bonds, often in odd lot quantities; also called the retail investor. Although there are millions of small investors, their total holdings are dwarfed by the share ownership of large institutions such as mutual funds and insurance companies. Together with the proliferation of mutual funds, recent developments in the brokerage industry and its diversification along full-service lines have brought new programs specifically designed to make investing more convenient for small investors. Thus, much cash traditionally kept in savings banks has found its way into the stock and bond markets.
See also odd-lot short-sale ratio; Odd-Lot Theory.

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Individual investors who buy and sell securities for their personal account, and not for another company or organization.

Also known as an "individual investor" or "small investor".

Investopedia Says:
Retail investors buy in much smaller quantities than larger institutional investors.

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