Published Wed, Jul 1, 2026 · 07:00 AM
MEME mania swept through Wall Street in 2021. Retail investors gathered on social media and coordinated trading strategies to short squeeze high-profile hedge funds.
Their success was more than financial; it was hailed as a David versus Goliath battle, a victory for the underdogs that toppled the almighty.
That was just a skirmish. The conflict between retail and professional investors today has extended well beyond “degen” traders active on Reddit and a few hard-charging hedge funds.