Market Insight February 1st, 2021

Millions of Americans watched in disbelief as GameStop (GME) shares rocketed to the moon this week. The stock is up 2,400% in the last month.

What captured the American psyche wasn’t just the video game retailer’s meteoric rise, but rather that a rabid sub-group inside Reddit bested famed Wall Street shortsellers. Users of Reddit’s WallStreetBets forum sent shares of companies like GME, AMC, NOK and BB to the stratosphere. It was a classic short squeeze. As these stocks rose ever higher, shortsellers were forced to cover and buy the shares, causing an upward spiral that apparently had “people crying” in the hedge fund world.

Then all hell broke loose mid-week.

Brokerage firms like Robinhood, Interactive Brokers and TD Ameritrade restricted trading in these companies. It became a classic “Wall Street vs. Main Street” story. Class action lawsuits were filed and conspiracy theories about shortseller and brokerage firm collusion circulated, before the exchanges finally capitulated removing restrictions on trading shares.

But the damage was done. Bruised “retail” investors argued that the game was rigged against them and someone should go to jail. In a funny twist of irony, polar-opposite lawmakers Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ted Cruz agreed something must be done.

Is this the beginning of a massive sea change between Wall Street and Main Street, or the end of a populist movement that’s been simmering under the surface for some time now?

The Markets

While the social-media-driven trading spectacle was fascinating, it overshadowed other substantive news that may affect more companies over a longer period of time:‍

• The Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged near zero. Fed Chair Jerome Powell indicated rates will remain low until jobs have recovered, even if inflation moves beyond the Fed’s target rate,  reported Joy Wiltermuth and Andrea Riquier of MarketWatch.
• The Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged near zero. Fed Chair Jerome Powell indicated rates will remain low until jobs have recovered, even if inflation moves beyond the Fed’s target rate,  reported Joy Wiltermuth and Andrea Riquier of MarketWatch.
• The economy continued to grow during the fourth quarter of 2020. The Bureau of Economic Analysis reported gross domestic product (GDP), which is the value of all goods and services produced, increased from the third to the fourth quarter of 2020. The pace of growth slowed significantly from the third quarter as the coronavirus continued to interfere with economic activity.
• A highly anticipated vaccine proved less effective than anticipated. Markets responded negatively to the news that a single-shot vaccine was 66 percent effective globally. The value of the vaccine is greater than the statistic suggests, according to experts cited by Ben Levisohn of Barron’s. The shot, “…prevented severe symptoms in 85 percent of patients, meaning that even those who caught the virus had cough, sniffles, and fevers but avoided the worst outcomes…”
• Company earnings in the fourth quarter were better-than-expected. On Friday, John Butters of FactSet wrote, “Overall, 37 percent of the companies in the S&P 500 have reported actual results for Q4 2020 to date. Of these companies, 82 percent have reported actual EPS [earnings-per-share] above estimates…”

Last week, major U.S. stock market indices finished low

What's New?

In January, the Merriam Webster Dictionary added 520 words to its pages. The additions include new words that have found their way into common use, as well as expanded definitions for words that were already well-established. Here is a sampling of the new entries:

• Hygge: A cozy quality that makes a person feel content and comfortable‍
• Pod: A small group of people who interact closely while minimizing outside contact to avoid exposure to a contagious disease‍
• Hard pass: A firm refusal or rejection‍
• Cancel culture: The practice of engaging in mass canceling as a way of expressing disapproval and applying social pressure  ‍
• Crowdfunding: Obtaining needed funding by asking a large number of people, usually members of an online community, for contributions‍
• Gig worker: A person who works temporary jobs as an independent contractor or freelancer ‍
• Second gentleman: The husband or male partner of a vice president or second in command of a country or jurisdiction

As new words become common or expand their meanings, other words become obsolete. What are some words that explained the world when you were younger and have fallen out of use? Britches, floppy disk, icebox, and yuppie come to mind.

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Weekly Focus - Think About It

“For last year's words belong to last year's language
And next year's words await another voice.”
--T.S. Eliot, Poet, editor, playwright

Best regards,
Niels Buksik

P.S.  If you like our commentary, please make sure to enter your email address and name in the section below to receive our Market Insight Newsletter via email.

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* These views are those of ANCHORY LLC, and not the presenting Representative or the Representative’s Broker/Dealer, and should not be construed as investment advice.

*This newsletter was prepared by ANCHORY LLC.

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