Retail investors vs. Wall Street script reappears: After surging 146% last night, will BYND be the next GME?
Chainfeeds Guide:
Reddit retail investors are shouting: "The bears don't have much time left, and we will witness firsthand how chaos turns into profit."
Source:
Odaily
Author:
Odaily
Opinion:
Odaily: Do you still remember the "retail vs. Wall Street" drama around GameStop (GME) four years ago? At the beginning of 2021, centered around the WallStreetBets (WSB) forum on Reddit, a group of retail investors discovered that GameStop (GME) stock was being openly shorted by well-known bears such as Citron Research and Melvin Capital. They decided to buy up large amounts of stock and call options (of course, with some institutions pushing in the opposite direction as well), driving up the price to squeeze the shorts. In the end, GameStop (GME) skyrocketed in a short period, short-selling institutions began to admit defeat and close their positions, Citron suffered heavy losses, and Melvin Capital was even on the verge of bankruptcy. This battle was regarded as a symbolic victory of "retail vs. Wall Street" and is still talked about in the market. Now, a similar script is playing out with another company, Beyond Meat (BYND). According to the US stock market, Beyond Meat (BYND) closed yesterday at $3.62, soaring 146.26% in a single day. This plant-based meat company once saw its stock price soar to a high of $239.71 after its IPO in 2019, but then plummeted due to ongoing losses and market conditions, recently even hitting a historic low of $0.6. Although Beyond Meat's (BYND) recent price rebound is somewhat related to improvements in its operations—for example, this week it announced a partnership with Walmart, with products entering more than 2,000 Walmart stores—the real key factor behind such a surge is the concentrated buying by retail investors. Trader ₿IGRYAN (@BigRyanPark) stated on X: "Retail investors have pushed the stock up more than 360%... This has already raised concerns among hedge funds, which have shorted 54.01% of the float. The scale of this rebound is not yet enough to trouble the hedge funds, but that could change, because the internet loves this kind of dramatic story..." According to CNBC, FactSet data shows that more than 63% of BYND's tradable shares have been sold short. In addition, Roundhill Investments has added the stock to its meme stock-themed ETF product—Roundhill Meme Stock ETF (MEME)—further intensifying the short squeeze in the market. On Reddit's WallStreetBets board, BYND is becoming the latest hot topic. Reddit user @cornecorne2 analyzed: In rare cases (such as the 2021 GameStop event), individual investors or hedge funds create buying pressure, causing the stock price to soar. When many investors hold short positions and put options, it may trigger a "gamma squeeze." Coupled with FOMO sentiment, new investors flock in, shorts are forced to cover, and the stock price may multiply several times or even tenfold within days. BYND may currently be in the early stages of such a scenario. @No_Feedback_630 pointed out: Although WSB is deleting BYND posts, trading volume has exceeded 1.1 billions, which is exactly like the GameStop situation back then. @NoPixel_ said: Trading BYND makes him feel like it's 2021 again. @hxtimx was even more excited: For years, big institutions and shorts have been crushing us, but we've awakened. Now is our time to fight back, and it will look ugly when they cover. Meanwhile, there are also a lot of wild price predictions for BYND—$4, $10, even $100. Although the current hype can't compare to GME back then, the sentiment is gradually heating up.
Disclaimer: The content of this article solely reflects the author's opinion and does not represent the platform in any capacity. This article is not intended to serve as a reference for making investment decisions.
You may also like
DiDi has become a digital banking giant in Latin America
DiDi has successfully transformed into a digital banking giant in Latin America by addressing the lack of local financial infrastructure, building an independent payment and credit system, and achieving a leap from a ride-hailing platform to a financial powerhouse. Summary generated by Mars AI. This summary was produced by the Mars AI model, and its accuracy and completeness are still being iteratively improved.

Fed rate cuts in conflict, but Bitcoin's "fragile zone" keeps BTC below $100,000
The Federal Reserve cut interest rates by 25 basis points, but the market interpreted the move as hawkish. Bitcoin is constrained by a structurally fragile range, making it difficult for the price to break through $100,000. Summary generated by Mars AI This summary was generated by the Mars AI model, and the accuracy and completeness of its content are still being iteratively updated.

Full text of the Federal Reserve decision: 25 basis point rate cut, purchase of $4 billion in Treasury bills within 30 days
The Federal Reserve cut interest rates by 25 basis points with a 9-3 vote. Two members supported keeping rates unchanged, while one supported a 50 basis point cut. In addition, the Federal Reserve has restarted bond purchases and will buy $40 billion in Treasury bills within 30 days to maintain adequate reserve supply.

HyENA officially launched: Perp DEX supported by Ethena and based on USDe collateral goes live on Hyperliquid
The launch of HyENA further expands the USDe ecosystem and brings institutional-grade margin efficiency to the on-chain perpetuals market.
