The most popular UK stocks in the US

According to a recent study, BP (LSE: BP) is the United States’ most searched UK stock, with over 220,000 monthly searches. There are over 2 million estimated monthly searches for UK stocks in the US. 

The study, by UK financial services provider CMC Markets, analysed Google search data for over 250 top UK stocks in the most populated countries and found that BP, Shell, and GlaxoSmithKline were the top three searches in the US. One in 10 US-based searches for UK stocks is for BP.

United States’ most-searched UK stocks	Average monthly search volume
BP (LSE: BP)	222,760
Shell (LSE: SHEL)	112,560
GlaxoSmithKline (LSE: GSK)	60,740
Arrival (LSE: ARVL)	53,480
Rio Tinto (LSE: RIO)	43,780

Oil and gas giant BP, which recently announced record profits of $28 billion, is the most popular UK stock in the US, with 222,760 monthly searches. BP represents one in ten US-based UK stock searches. BP claims to be America’s number one energy investor, having spent $90 billion over the past ten years, and supporting around 145,000 US jobs. 

BP is the most searched globally, including countries such as Azerbaijan, Cyprus, Iraq, Oman, the Philippines, Qatar, Turkey, and Vietnam.

BP is also the most popular in the UK, and has the highest monthly search volume out of any UK stock, over 994,000, with over one in five searches being US-based. Search volume is primarily driven by the United Kingdom and the United States traffic; when combined, the figure makes up nearly nine in ten (88%) global searches for BP stock. 

Another oil and gas company, Shell, is the second most popular stock in the US, with 112,560 monthly searches. Shell also recently announced record profits of $40 billion. According to the company website, the company owns over 14,000 gas stations nationally and operates in almost every state, except for Montana.

Multinational pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline is the third most popular UK stock nationally, with just over 60,000 monthly searches. GlaxoSmithKline employs over 15,000 people in the US and owns several manufacturing and research sites across the country, including Maryland, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina.

Arrival (LSE: ARVL) is the fourth most popular UK stock in the US, with over 53,000 searches per month. Arrival is founded by a former Russian deputy minister. According to Financial Times, the company closed its Russian operations due to the Ukraine war in 2022. Arrival’s American headquarters is based in Charlotte, North Carolina. ‘ARVL stock’ is searched 33,000 times per month in the US.

Mining company Rio Tinto is the fifth most popular UK stock in the US, with 43,780 monthly searches. Rio Tinto owns three mining operations in West USA. ‘RIO stock’ is the most popular search term, driving 30,000 monthly searches. 

A spokesman from CMC Markets commented:

“There are over 16.6 million estimated monthly searches for UK stocks worldwide, with just over one in four searches coming from outside the UK. 

These findings highlight Shell and BP’s global reach and popularity as publicly traded companies. The high search volume for these stocks indicates strong US consumer interest in oil and gas companies and their financial performance.

It is also worth noting that the average monthly search volume for these stocks indicates consumer sentiment toward the stock. Investors should take note of the high search volume for the top five stocks in the US, as this may indicate strong potential for growth in these companies.

The study provides valuable insight into consumer sentiment toward UK stocks internationally. The findings of the study can help investors make more informed decisions when it comes to investing in UK stocks”.

This study was conducted by CMC Markets, a UK-based financial services company that offers online trading in shares, spread betting, contracts for difference and foreign exchange across world markets.