GameStop stock dropped 40% as the livestream concluded
- GameStop falls during and after Roaring Kitty’s YouTube livestream.
- Keith Gill’s stream left some confused and others amused with his humorous presentation.
- GME remains extremely volatile, dropping over 40% on the day at the conclusion of Gill’s stream.
GME GameStop 1-hour price chart (June 3 to 7, 2024)
GameStop (GME) fell 40% by the time Keith Gill’s livestream on YouTube ended Friday afternoon. Known to his followers as “Roaring Kitty,” Gill has become a household name among retail investors, famed for his role in the meme stock trading frenzy that he kicked off back in 2021.
The livestream, lasting approximately 50 minutes and attracting hundreds of thousands of viewers, amplified the stock’s volatility, with GME being halted several times during the broadcast.
26-minute delay
Gill’s livestream began with a disclaimer, mostly explaining the speculative nature of his trading. In a humorous gesture, Gill appeared on screen, after a 26-minute delay, wrapped in bandages and a sling, a play to the stock’s price performance on the day.
Markets were quickly reminded of the speculative nature of the trade, with the stock selling off an additional 8% during the time Gill was on the screen. After some humorous and what some would consider bizarre banter, Gill started to dissect his trade, showing his portfolio and GME position on the screen. His portfolio showed his two positions consisting of 5,000 shares of GME at a price paid of $21.274 and 120,000 June 21 $20 calls.
Gill’s total gain, at the time of showing it, was $146 million, although the daily loss was $163 million.
Gill playfully removed the E*TRADE logo from the screen through the browser’s HTML function, joking around on the speculation that E*TRADE would remove his profile from the platform—something financial outlets reported earlier this week.
Gill made clear that his position is his only and stated that he isn’t working with anyone else. He was seemingly pushing back against rumors in the market that he had the backing of a hedge fund or other large market player.
This was one of Gill’s shortest streams ever. His broadcasts would typically last a couple of hours or more back in 2021 when he regularly went onto YouTube to talk about GameStop.
GameStop earnings out early
This morning, GameStop unexpectedly reported first-quarter earnings, previously scheduled for June 11.
The company reported a drop in net sales and a net loss of $32 million for the quarter. The company also moved to sell an additional 75 million in common stock, diluting existing shareholders to raise capital. The move makes sense from a management standpoint and wasn’t necessarily surprising, given the rapid rise in the stock price.
On paper, Gill’s notional position in GME swelled to approximately $900 million overnight prior to GameStop management’s share sale announcement.
GME GameStop 5-minute price chart (June 7, 2024)
Thomas Westwater, a tastylive financial writer and analyst, has eight years of markets and trading experience. @fxwestwater
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