Reddit Users Increase Pressure on Hedge Funds
The surge in meme stocks has been causing notable turmoil in the stock market lately. Members of the well-known WallStreetBets subreddit and various trading enthusiasts on Twitter have been forming strong communities around specific stocks. They consistently urge each other to hold onto these stocks for an extended period. This strategy aims to increase the value of the stocks and create challenges for hedge funds attempting to short sell them. One such favored stock among meme investors is the theater chain AMC, which has been facing difficulties due to the impact of the pandemic.
Yesterday, the value of AMC stock experienced a significant surge, reaching its highest point in the past month with a 14.1% increase, bringing it to around $12 per share. AMC gained popularity among meme investors after the GameStop surge in January, although its performance had slowed down recently. Some analysts attribute this recent surge in AMC to Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s announcement about discontinuing cryptocurrency acceptance due to environmental concerns. This move resulted in shifting investor focus away from Bitcoin and Dogecoin towards meme investment favorites such as AMC.
REMINDER #AMC fam! #AMCSqueeze will take days with many scary dips along the way. JUST HOLD for life changing gains. Paper hands can exit left. pic.twitter.com/xSvm8G7WTQ
— Talking Stonks (@TalkingStonks) May 13, 2021
Under normal circumstances, AMC stock would not be performing as well as it currently is. Despite the increased confidence in theater attendance due to widespread vaccine distribution and the implementation of strict health and safety measures by individual theaters, AMC’s financial situation remains challenging. In its recent earnings report for Q1, AMC reported an 84.2% decrease in revenue to $148.3 million. Additionally, the company is currently burdened with a substantial debt of $5.5 billion at high interest rates. However, Twitter investors remain steadfast in their decision to retain their AMC shares, anticipating a continued rise in value in the coming days.
