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GameStop volumes

GameStop’s trading volumes are ridiculous

Here we go again?

It’s all feeling very 2021 this week as GameStop — which, until three years ago, was a quietly ailing gaming retailer — has once again regained its status as the meme stock du jour, with shares in the company gaining more than 180% so far this week.

Why GameStop is soaring, whether its rise was weeks in the making (options trading suggests maybe yes?), and how this saga will end for the company and its flurry of new investors, are all fascinating questions. Another is: just how much money is actually changing hands in GME stock?

Although we might be numb to meme stock moves at this point, it’s worth reminding ourselves just how extraordinary these phenomena are. Stocks moving 50%+ in a day isn’t completely unheard of, but those kinds of swings are usually reserved for thinly-traded stocks with low liquidity. That’s not what’s happening here.

GameStop volumes

Data from Koyfin reveals the list of the most-traded stocks in the US & Canada yesterday. The table reads: Nvidia, Tesla, GameStop, Apple and Berkshire Hathaway. Right there, in between some of the biggest companies on Earth which trade billions of dollars everyday, is GameStop.

Indeed, for companies of its size (which we’ve defined loosely as $5-25 billion, but recognize that it’s something of a moving target), GME’s trading volume — which surpassed $10 billion yesterday — is a serious outlier. The average for that subset of similar companies? Just $94 million.

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SpaceX gets a wave of bullish ratings from Wall Street analysts

SpaceX received more than a dozen positive analyst calls on Tuesday — including from major Wall Street banks — as they initiate coverage on Elon Musk’s space and AI company.

SpaceX went public on June 12 at a $2.2 trillion valuation, the largest debut in history. While the company hasn’t yet posted a profit, it seems to have convinced Wall Street that it will get there and grow its valuation on the way.

Of the at least 17 analysts that gave a rating on Tuesday, all but one gave it a “buy” or “outperform” rating. MoffettNathanson was "neutral."

The ratings come as SpaceX joined the Nasdaq 100 index, a benchmark tech-heavy basket of companies that underpins millions of portfolios. The inclusion adds built-in demand for the stock from index funds and ETFs.

Still, SpaceX fell more than 5% on Tuesday amid a broader sell-off, and is currently effectively flat from its opening price of $150 a share.

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Nike sinks to lowest level since 2014 after warning of “challenged” sales environment in Q4 report

Did Nike do it?

Investors had a mixed reaction after the global sports apparel company reported its fourth quarter earnings on Tuesday after the bell. Shares initially rose 5% as Nike beat out Wall Street expectations amid a hefty tariff refund bonus. However, the stock then sank to its lowest level since August 2014 in postmarket trading.

Here are the Q4 numbers:

  • Revenue of $11.0 billion (estimate: $10.8 billion).

  • Adjusted earnings per share of $0.20 (estimate: $0.12).

Ahead of this report, Nike warned that results would be flattered by a one-time tariff refund (now estimated at roughly $0.52 per share for the bottom line). That gave the company an extra cushion in snapping its streak of seven quarters of year-over-year profit declines.

Over the past year, the company had been punished by tariffs on imported goods, stagnant consumer spending, and increasing competition from other footwear brands like New Balance, Adidas, and Hoka.

Outgoing CFO Matthew Friend deemed it an “increasingly challenging operating environment, where sell-through remains challenged.”

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