Excitement-seeking traders send rising “meme stocks” as cryptocurrencies fall

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A new breed of traders chasing emotions in the intense ups and downs of the markets is once again asserting its dominance, sending stocks of popular stocks rising as cryptocurrency prices fall.

In January, amateur investors flocked online in large numbers to shoot up unappreciated shares of companies, including GameStop console retailers and film group AMC Entertainment. Now, after a pause, he has returned a little of that fervor.

Shares in AMC have risen more than 150 percent since Bitcoin began swinging earlier this month and have more than doubled this week alone, according to Refinitiv data. GameStop, one of the highest-profile retail reproductions, has risen 26% this week.

Professional analysts claim that the re-expression shows that the amateur fascination with the markets may exceed the social limits that were initiated last year to control the coronavirus pandemic. Some now see it as a more lasting trend that has a noticeable effect on the investment landscape.

“Retail [traders are] creating his own impulse and following it. We have this new dynamic in which retail is leading the way, it can no longer be said that retail is the last thing we know, ”said Dan Pipitone, co-founder of US-based brokerage TradeZero.

Although the markets have been mostly tame on the surface in recent weeks, there have been flashes of volatility in assets favored by young traders with technological knowledge who have entered equity and cryptocurrency markets since the beginning of the blockades. last year.

After the rise in January, some enthusiasm leaked into cryptocurrencies. But the prices of bitcoin and ether, two of the most popular digital currencies, have fallen since early May. When air came out of this market, it seemed to be pumping back into stocks with intense retail interest.

A Goldman Sachs index of the most frequently mentioned stocks on the popular Reddit page of r / WallStreetBets, which has become an online watering hole for day traders and some big money managers, has gained 20% this week, according to the bank.

Part of this appears in options markets, which traders can use to bet on the direction of stocks. The number of open calls (bets that will increase shares) on AMC rose 40 percent since trading began on Tuesday, to 1.8 million, according to Bloomberg data. AMC’s net retail purchase of shares over the past week was $ 209 million at Thursday’s close, up 273% from the previous week, according to Vanda data.

In the past, day traders had a tendency to focus on specific topics or sectors of action. But the new generation tends to “rotate into different asset bubbles” in global markets, said Giacomo Pierantoni, an analyst at Vanda Research, which tracks retail investment flows. “They invest in assets with strong momentum, high bullish potential and a supportive news flow,” he said.

Pipitone of TradeZero added that “these traders are not married to any industry, but are married to style.”

Despite the relatively small market share of individual investors, with younger investors trading at smaller sums, they have an excessive ability to raise prices on individual stocks or issues.

“They don’t necessarily move a lot of money, but they use a lot of derivatives,” Pierantoni said. Derivatives transactions, such as the use of options and futures on equities and cryptocurrencies, allow traders to magnify their potential gains and their ability to send assets that move up and down.

“You have speculative foam pockets. Then the horde moves on to the next “shiny object” leading to a “series of continuous corrective phases,” said Liz Ann Sonders, Charles Schwab’s chief investment strategist. The “interest frenzy” in the market corners of “freshly manufactured day traders” has been evident since the summer of 2020, when investors rallied in large technology stocks, he added.

This style of investment among people aged 18 to 40 is expected to be maintained. “You have old school guys who say this won’t last, which is a boom in the trade, but there’s a different psyche among young investors,” said Bob Cortright, executive director of brokerage technology provider DriveWealth.

“This is a generation that grew up with video games. . . They are very smart, very fast. That’s why cryptography is so exciting for them: they actually like volatility. “

Others in the investing community disagree and expect these ultra-speculative traders to become the type of investors seeking longer-term capital appreciation rather than rush highs and lows.

This month’s “fall in cryptocurrencies was the next logical step in losing retail markets’ love affair. This meme seemed to be underway, ”said Steve Sosnick, chief strategist at the Interactive Brokers platform, with its in Connecticut.

Still, others see the boom in retail after the pandemic as the start of a major new investment force.

“Everyone is trying to tell them that‘ it will end badly ’or‘ this is not a good way to negotiate ’and I think there is basically no point in it,” Cortright added. “They’re creating new ways of thinking about investing.”

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