Shares of quantum computing firm Rigetti Computing (RGTI) fell sharply on Wednesday, drawing heightened attention from retail traders after surging to a fresh record high on Tuesday.

Rigetti's stock dropped more than 8% in midday trade after touching an intraday peak of $57.96, extending a volatile stretch for one of the market's most actively discussed quantum computing names. Retail sentiment on Stocktwits slid further into 'extremely bearish' territory, though message volumes remained at 'extremely high' levels. Rigetti was the platform's top trending ticker during the midday trade before slipping lower in the rankings.

According to Stocktwits data, message volumes tied to Rigetti have climbed more than 20% over the past week and surged over 4,400% in the past month. 

One retail trader flagged a large bearish options bet suggesting Rigetti Computing's (RGTI) stock could decline sharply by Friday - a move they said may signal that negative news is looming.

Another retail trader opined that RGTI is among the AI-linked stocks with little or no real revenue and that their eventual drop could expose weakness in the broader“AI bubble.”

The broader quantum computing sector has been rallying in recent months, with speculative enthusiasm fueling large gains across several peers. Since January, Rigetti shares have jumped more than 200%, while D-Wave Quantum (QBTS) has surged nearly 400%. IonQ (IONQ) has advanced 75%, and Quantum Computing (QUBT) is up more than 25%.

These stocks rallied earlier this week after an announcement from JPMorgan on Monday that it would be investing $1.5 trillion in strategic industries over the next 10 years in a host of companies critical to national economic security and resiliency, including quantum computing.

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