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Article
Comovements between Heavily Shorted Stocks during a Market Squeeze: Lessons from the GameStop Trading Frenzy
Research in International Business and Finance
  • Zaghum Umar, Zayed University; South Ural State University
  • Imran Yousaf, Air University
  • Adam Zaremba, Montpellier Business School; University of Montpellier; Poznań University of Economics and Business
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
6-1-2021
Abstract

We examine the comovements between stock prices of different heavily shorted companies during a short-squeeze incident. Using the recent GameStop trading frenzy as a case study, we employ wavelet coherence analyses to determine its link with other frequently shorted stocks. We demonstrate a robust positive association between GameStop prices and the performance of high short interest indices. The bubble behavior driven by retail investor herding transmits between different stocks, even from unrelated sectors. Consequently, a single short-squeeze incident may build up into a potentially broader systemic risk, casting doubt on market integrity and stability.

Publisher
Elsevier
Disciplines
Keywords
  • GameStop,
  • Wavelet coherence,
  • Comovements,
  • Short squeeze,
  • Retail investors,
  • Robinhood app,
  • r/wallstreetbets,
  • Investor herding,
  • Social media,
  • High short interest
Scopus ID
85107696215
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
Indexed in Scopus
Yes
Open Access
Yes
Open Access Type
Hybrid: This publication is openly available in a subscription-based journal/series
Citation Information
Zaghum Umar, Imran Yousaf and Adam Zaremba. "Comovements between Heavily Shorted Stocks during a Market Squeeze: Lessons from the GameStop Trading Frenzy" Research in International Business and Finance Vol. 58 (2021) ISSN: <p><a href="https://v2.sherpa.ac.uk/id/publication/issn/0275-5319" target="_blank">0275-5319</a></p>
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/zaghum-umar/40/