At the peak of the frenzy surrounding so-called "meme stocks" — brokerages and trading platforms restricted transactions in retail investor-boosted names like GameStop Corporation GME and AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc AMC on Jan. 28, 2021.
The restrictions were placed by brokerages like Robinhood, Interactive Brokers, Charles Schwab, E*Trade, or WeBull.
Last year in June, a congressional report by the House Financial Services Committee (HFSC) was released. Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) highlighted four main findings of the HFSC probe.
One of the key findings was that broker-dealers that experienced the most severe liquidity crisis put in the most expansive meme stock trading restrictions. Restrictions by Robinhood led to more than 30 user lawsuits.
The Investment: If an investor invested $100 each in GameStop and AMC on Jan.27, 2023, and the shares of these companies reach the intra-day high levels at which they traded on Jan 28, 2021, here’s how much they’d have. Note that AMC traded at $16.50 on that day in 2021 and GameStop at $120.75.
| Investment | Date Of Purchase/Listing | Purchase Amount | Purchase Price | Shares Obtained | Worth If Price Shoots Up To MemeStock Hype | Percentage Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc (AMC) | Jan. 27, 2023 | $100 | $5.51 | 18.15 | $299.45 | 199.45 |
| GameStop Corporation (GME) | Jan. 27, 2023 | $100 | $22.82 | 4.38 | $529.14 | 429.14% |
The investor would have gained199.45% and 429.14% on their AMC and GameStop bets respectively. The $100 invested in AMC would turn into $299.45, while the same amount of GameStop shares would have returned $529.14.
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