It's all fun and GameStop, until someone loses an eye

Game-ification of the markets, entertain-ification of the markets — call it what you will. No-commission trading. Fractional shares. Pandemic-related lockdowns leaving us stuck at home, battling bouts of boredom. Non-stop news flow and continuous contact with social media. Technological disruptions — not to mention circumstance — have made it easier and cheaper to trade the markets from wherever, whenever. Anyone with a smartphone and a dollar can open up an account and trade. But set against the climate of social discord present today, it is not surprising that tensions are spilling over from politics and protests into other pockets of society. Combine these dynamics with a large segment of people that feel disenfranchised and disaffected to the point of ire and revenge, and it is not surprising that GameStop has become a rallying cry for the markets to “stick it to the man”. Mix in Twitter and the propagation of misinformation and you have the perfect recipe for the manifestation of this rage. Massive stimulus is the icing on the cake.

There have certainly been some interesting opinions on recent events — including takes on what is happening in the markets, what the responses have been, and what the effects might be. Here’s mine.