A Game Well Played (GME)Yes, I actually presented the possibility of a massive short squeeze to all-time high levels for GME stock back in October. Here is the original analysis:
There were clearly some opportunistic investors who bought the lows on this one and made out like bandits. Unfortunately I wasn't one of them (I made the initial post by request). Even those who bought below $5 and sold at $30 did very well. The idea was that GME might actually be undervalued. Even Michael Burry ('Big Short' fame) had invested in the company. Time will tell if Gamestop can restructure in such a way that proves profitable and time-enduring. But clearly, this stock is a fan-favorite. The Millennials involved in the short squeeze certainly have an affinity for nostalgia. Just look at Nokia and AMC (remember when we could go to movie theaters?)
Many on WSB are now wondering what's going on, clearly. The herd-mentality is quite extraordinary, and together a large group of smaller investors was able to squeeze whales out of their positions. Unfortunately, the wealthy elite are the ones with the liquidity and access to massive amounts of borrowing. In numbers, when people collaborate they can certainly have an impact, and it's inspiring to see that happen here. HOWEVER, human nature always takes over, and people get both fearful and greedy. These emotions drive the markets. Big investors have the wealth to afford short term losses. In their mind, the market always goes up long term, so they will be able to recover their losses. But the wealth disparity is so great that when an individual risks their life savings on something like this, it will take a very long time to recover. So the fear is correspondingly much greater, and that fear makes the stock owner a paper hand. To really have "diamond hands" you need to be able to stomach losses of 50% or greater. Those who bought GME above $300 (I suspect there are a lot of them) are already down to less than a third of their original investment.
The name of the game is always liquidity. Unfortunately, after Robinhood restricted orders, buying pressure eased up, allowing prices to fall. Charts were going around displaying "low volume sells," but that's not the entire picture. In reality, it's the lack of buyers. Even though there aren't that many people selling necessarily, price can still drop if there are even less buyers to eat up the supply from the sellers. So price has dropped right back to where I'd expect it would - roughly near the previous all-time-high. Psychologically, the $65-75 range should be a moment of maximum pain for anyone who bought during the meteoric rise. And therefore, their panic-selling should provide the most liquidity for new buyers. If GME is to actually move up again, I expected these levels to be tested. This is the first time I see a potential buying opportunity. If GME falls below $65, it can head right back to my trendlines and much lower support levels. This is the risk. If one believes in this company's value long-term, these are the levels to look for entries. And yes, it can go all the way back to $15-17 and still remain in an uptrend!
Here it is zoomed in, so you can see my trendlines more easily. The green horizontal line is the previous ATH
There is still a chance for further squeeze action (yes, even towards those ridiculous $1000+ targets), but GME will need to hold above my trendlines, and ideally above the previous ATH. Ultimately though, once the final squeeze is done (if there is one) I expect the stock's price to fall back to earth and land somewhere in the $10-20 range. We'll see! I am not personally buying GME unless it gets back into that range and shows some promising business moves. But the $65-75 range is where I'd look for the first line of strong support, if I were trading this (previous ATH). Right now I'm looking to begin investing for the long term after building some capital using crypto market gains. Currently, I'm building small positions in stocks/ETF's that I think have room to grow, despite very precarious economic conditions. I do think we're nearing some sort of climax to a large debt/asset bubble. I'm very curious to see what happens in the next few years. Perhaps sectors other than big tech (green energy, new infrastructure, marijuana, nuclear, etc) can take the reigns and we can avoid a serious economic collapse. It all depend on the world's leadership, and what they do about the wealth gap.
I see a lot of people my age investing and trading for the first time. So in some ways, I am at an advantage with respect to my cohort, since I have a pretty good idea of how the markets work. It's important to have a PLAN, and many entered this frenzy without one. Some will become long-term investors, but many will lose enough money to impact them for the rest of their lives.
Part of this IS general investing advice, but this post is NOT a recommendation to buy or sell any particular stock. This is for speculation and education only. All I can say is be very careful, assess risk, and TAKE PROFIT. Profit and capital preservation is your POWER against fear. FEAR makes one a paper hand. And I acknowledge many around the world do not have the wealth or financial safety net to handle losses. To many, the market offers opportunities for those who don't come from privilege. But especially in those cases, it's immensely important to exercise RISK MANAGEMENT. Take that profit, enjoy it, and carefully plan the next move when you are ready.
-Victor Cobra
