Social Media Analysis of 'Meme Stocks'

Abstract

In January 2021, stocks such as GME and AMC saw a rapid increase in value coinciding with their rise in popularity among online communities of smaller “retail” investors. It was therefore speculated heavily in the media that these communities’ interest directly caused the increases in these stocks, dubbed ‘Meme Stocks’ due to their disproportionate popularity in online communities. This project examines the relationship between online social media sites, specifically r/wallstreetbets, and the performance of the stocks popular there. We attempt to establish empirically what stocks are more popular based on trends in vocabulary. Then, we examined the relationship between activity on r/wallstreetbets and the adjusted closing prices and implied volatility of the popular stocks. Finally, we attempt to create a model to predict the price and implied volatility of certain stocks based on activity on r/wallstreetbets.