Here is a guide to what the average investor is thinking about right now

The first trend Investopedia highlighted was in oil.

We're not seeing dramatic peaks in reader interest," said Siegel. "That tells me that to a large extent anxiety over oil has peaked and there could be a bottom there.

Interest in commodity exchange-traded funds (ETFs) has spiked, Siegel said, not just because general interest in ETFs has grown. "We've seen a lot more ETF interest between now and three or five years ago, but not a serious increase in the past year." He thinks the interest in commodity ETFs spiked as people looked for safe hedges against price drops.

The next theme for Investopedia was retirement.

Siegel said he notices a sudden spike in reader interested in Social Security around the recent change in the benefits plan. "We've never seen people this interested in retirement before," he said.

"People who are approaching retirement age or in retirement disproportionately make up our readers on Social Security," said Siegel. He said this was logical given that they are most affected by changes.

But, he said, people 34 and younger are searching for retirement in general but not Social Security. "They're scared to be their parents, without enough for retirement or worried about Social Security," Siegel said. This would indicate an interest in retirement benefits and building up a nest egg early.

The third theme was the Federal Reserve.

"In theory, if someone is anticipating a really quick hike interest rates, you would see increased attention in bonds," said Siegel. Fed movements affect bond yields and can change how investors see the sector.

The final theme was anxiety among investors, and what it means for politics.

"The Anxiety Index is a basket of 13 negative terms people search for," said Siegel.

"An increase in the Anxiety Index opens up the way for far-right parties to take control in elections," said Siegel. Since it is 30% below its peak, it does not bode well for Donald Trump and other far-right candidates.

Investopedia's Anxiety Index is also correlated to the VIX, a measurement of market volatility, said Siegel. "It could absolutely spike," he said.

The first step people take is to do research," said Siegel. "It's a little bit of a leading indicator, since people learn first and the action comes later.

Here is a guide to what the average investor is thinking about right now

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