After Gamestop Success, /r/WallStreetBets Turns Its Sights On AMC, Causing Further Stock Market Chaos

January 27th, 2021 - 12:26 PM EST by Adam Downer

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amc movie theater

After an astounding success pumping Gamestop's stock, Redditors have turned their eye towards another stock from a struggling company: AMC.

The movie theater chain has been brutally hurt by the COVID-19 Pandemic, and like Gamestop, was thought to be on death's door. This made it a popular target of short-sellersβ€”hedge-fund traders who would borrow the stock and wait for its price to drop significantly before selling it, turning them a profit when they buy it back. However, a rush of people buying back the stock and Redditors of /r/wallstreetbets buying AMC stock in the hopes of a "short squeeze" have sent AMC's stock soaring up 230% as #SaveAMC trended on Twitter.

Wall Street has been scrambling to counter the Redditors who have been gaming the system. Trading was halted after 10 minutes today but after it reopened, AMC stock, once trading at a meager $4 a share, was trading at $16.27.

The efforts to "Save AMC" worked; according to CEO Adam Aron, the company secured enough capital to survive deep into the year. "This means that any talk of an imminent bankruptcy for AMC is completely off the table," he said.

The enthusiasm has become infectious, as basically a subreddit has memed its way into being a major factor in Wall Street.

Bed, Bath and Beyond and Kodak are other stocks that have seen significant rises in Reddit's battle against short sellers.


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