(Reuters) - “In short, I like the stock.”
Reddit logos are seen displayed in this illustration taken February 2, 2021. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration
That is the key takeaway for Reddit’s Wallstreetbets army of retail traders to upcoming testimony to Congress from Gamestop super-bull Keith Patrick Gill.
The 34-year-old from Massachusetts who became the Pied Piper in a massive GameStop rally fueled by a Reddit discussion group will tell a Congressional hearing on Thursday that his enthusiasm for the struggling videogame retailer is backed up by his own research.
Social media platforms including Youtube, where Gill is known as Roaring Kitty , and Reddit s Wallstreetbets discussion group level the playing field for small investors competing against hedge funds and other institutional investors, Gill said in a copy of his remarks here published by the House Financial Services Committee a day before the scheduled hearing.
Top executives from hedge funds and the Robinhood trading platform will appear before a U.S. House panel on Thursday to explain how a flood of retail trading drove shares of GameStop and other stocks to extreme highs, squeezing short sellers who had bet against them.
The recent trading frenzy centered on GameStop Corp and other “meme” stocks is sparking a wave of investor interest in start-ups aiming to mimic the success of Robinhood Markets Inc, whose no-fee brokerage app has helped drive a trading boom.
Shares of GameStop briefly reversed losses on Thursday after the trader known as Roaring Kitty told a congressional hearing he remained optimistic about the stock following its recent rally and selloff.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said on Thursday that an increased prevalence of zero-commission trading has spurred retail investors to get more involved in stocks, and the Securities and Exchange Commission will prepare a report on trading practices amid recent volatility.