Traders may need to find a new game as Reddit momentum – excluding AMC – slows

Published Thu, Jun 17 202111:53 AM EDTUpdated Thu, Jun 17 20212:17 PM EDT

Jesse Pound @/in/jesse-pound @jesserpound

Retail traders may be making a lot of noise on social media, but there is evidence that their influence over individual stocks is slipping. The Reddit forum WallStreetBets has become a key part of the stock market this year, with retail traders causing dramatic surges in names like GameStop and AMC Entertainment . However, many of the most high-profile Reddit stocks have retreated over the past week, with the notable exception of AMC. Trading volume has fallen as well, even though mentions of the stocks on Reddit have risen, according to analysis from Bank of America. Total activity on Reddit and in the options market suggest the retail trader movement is no longer growing, the firm said in a note. "Seventy percent of the stocks on last week's screen saw shares fall over the past week, AMC a major exception. While conversations generally accelerated for most stocks on our screen last week, overall WallStreetBets conversations have barely risen in recent weeks, and retail options usage remains well-below 1Q21, suggesting broader participation beyond just retail," Bank of America said. As of Wednesday's close, AMC was up 12% over the past week. The stock jumped again on Thursday morning. The movie theater chain was also the most popular trade by retail investors over the past week, according to JPMorgan. However, the next five favorite trades were exchange-traded funds — providing more evidence that interest in individual stocks might be waning. There is also some evidence that the Reddit users are getting less successful at pushing up a stock. One name that jumped into Bank of America's trending list this week was Petco . A surge of interest in the stock helped lead to a brief spike in it Monday, but the shares quickly fell back to their previous levels. CNBC's Jim Cramer has commented on Twitter on the weakness in some of the newer Reddit favorites. "WSB, keep your fire power for $AMC and $GME. There is too much money being lost on your other names. You might not be able to keep buying AMC or GME up here if you keep this up. Just sayin," Cramer wrote on Twitter. To be sure, the impact of the Reddit trade remains visible in the markets. Despite its recent struggles, GameStop was still trading above $200 per share on Thursday, dramatically higher than most Wall Street pros think it is worth. -- CNBC's Michael Bloom contributed to this report.

Dado Ruvic | Reuters

Retail traders may be making a lot of noise on social media, but there is evidence that their influence over individual stocks is slipping.

The Reddit forum WallStreetBets has become a key part of the stock market this year, with retail traders causing dramatic surges in names like GameStop and AMC Entertainment.

However, many of the most high-profile Reddit stocks have retreated over the past week, with the notable exception of AMC. Trading volume has fallen as well, even though mentions of the stocks on Reddit have risen, according to analysis from Bank of America.