It turns out that a congressional hearing aimed in part to investigate the increase in Internet stock is a great opportunity to, well, pump stocks on the Internet.
The House Financial Services Committee hearing on Thursday about the recent volatility of GameStop’s shares was a serious matter. Unless you were watching the audience on YouTube, where a fast-flowing comment section gave netizens the opportunity to publicize their favorite speculative stocks, cryptocurrency or even their slightly radioactive favorite merchandise. In this online community, turning off caps lock is optional and rocket emojis are mandatory.
“DON’T BUY DOGE, IT’S A MEMECOIN.BUY BITCOIN.” One commentator wrote. “Vaxart for COVID PILL VACCINE”, added another, in a reference to the beginning of biotechnology with the aim of developing an oral vaccine for coronavirus.
Other commentators were there to remind the community that there are other asset classes besides speculative stocks and cryptocurrencies – you can also bet on commodities. “URANIUM, URANIUM, URANIUM”, wrote a commentator, although it was not clear whether they were optimists or bassists.
No matter what the Internet decides to launch en masse next, it’s safe to say that not everyone has learned a lesson from GameStop’s epic rise and fall.