• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Social Security's 2032 deadline puts a 22% cut on the table — but Washington has way less room to negotiate than 1983

2

CEO of $20 billion AI firm Perplexity says the secret to success is ‘sleeping with that fear’ that your competitor will steal your idea

3

Iran proved it can close the Strait of Hormuz, but the U.S. is advertising very loudly that the world's top superpower can at least punch open a hole

1

Social Security's 2032 deadline puts a 22% cut on the table — but Washington has way less room to negotiate than 1983

2

CEO of $20 billion AI firm Perplexity says the secret to success is ‘sleeping with that fear’ that your competitor will steal your idea

3

Iran proved it can close the Strait of Hormuz, but the U.S. is advertising very loudly that the world's top superpower can at least punch open a hole
NewslettersBull Sheet

‘HOLDING TO THE MOON’: Yes, the GameStop bulls are back

By
Bernhard Warner
Bernhard Warner
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Bernhard Warner
Bernhard Warner
Down Arrow Button Icon
February 25, 2021, 4:54 AM ET
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

This is the web version of the Bull Sheet, Fortune’s no-BS daily newsletter on the markets. Sign up to receive it in your inbox here.

Good morning, Bull Sheeters. My, how the mood has changed in the markets. Two days ago, investors were selling bonds and stocks. Now, they’re selling bonds and buying stocks. That’s about as risk-on as it gets.

What are they buying this morning? Crude oil futures, mining stocks—remember this term: “commodities supercycle“—and of course the favorite meme stonks of the Reddit brigade. GameStop shares traded as high as $189 in the pre-market. That’s after a 104% gain yesterday. It’s going 🚀 again. And, as we remember from last month, when meme stonks rise…which stocks fall?

Bueller, Bueller?

Yes, big cap tech stocks. The answer is the B-I-G caps. On cue, Nasdaq futures are down.

Let’s see what else is moving markets.

Markets update

Asia

  • The major Asia indexes are rebounding in afternoon trading, with the Hang Seng up 1.2% after a rough Wednesday.
  • Shares in Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing were down 1.6% as investors continue to worry about a possible stamp duty on trading. The dark cloud has all but wiped out the shine on record profits for the operator of the Asian financial hub’s only bourse.
  • Airlines are still trying to figure out when they can start banking on international long-haul flights again. Not before Oct. 31, says Qantas. Shares jumped as much as 5.2% in Sydney on the pronouncement.

Europe

  • The European bourses were higher with the Stoxx Europe 600 up nearly 0.3% at the open.
  • Unlike in the U.S., lawmakers in the EU are not talking about a third round of stimulus goodies. And that relative stinginess will crimp economic growth in the Eurozone this year, a new forecast shows.
  • Why are public health officials so bullish on the COVID vaccine? A study that followed nearly 1.2 million people in Israel found the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID jab was so effective that “with broad enough use it may be possible to halt the pandemic.” Alas, we’re humans. There will be enough skeptics among us to sabotage that “broad enough use” target. I hope I’m wrong.

U.S.

  • U.S. futures are trading sideways this morning ahead of today’s jobless claims numbers. That’s after the Dow closed in record territory on Wednesday following a ferocious late-date rally.
  • Shares in Johnson & Johnson were up 1% in pre-market trading after the drugmaker after the FDA declared its single-jab COVID vaccine is “safe and effective,” clearing the way for authorization.
  • It’s Thursday, so we get jobless data before the bell. The forecast is for a 825,000 new unemployment claims. Not great, in other words.

Elsewhere

  • Gold is falling, trading below $1,800/ounce.
  • The dollar is down.
  • Crude is cruising again. Brent is trading above $66/barrel.
  • At 11 a.m. Rome time, Bitcoin was trading down, below $50,000.

***

Buzzworthy

“What are your moves” today?

I check in on the WallStreetBets Reddit forum fairly often these days. It’s teeming with giddy retail traders again. What are they saying? It’s game on for GameStop—”HOLDING TO THE MOON,” as one GME fan blares.

How to read G-D-P

That’s the take ^^ of UBS chief economist Paul Donovan in an investor note this morning on what to expect from today’s year-end 2020 GDP reading. It comes out at 8:30 a.m. ET. You can find it here.

Promised (and delivered) land

***

Have a nice day, everyone. I’ll see you here tomorrow… Until then, there’s more news below.

Bernhard Warner
@BernhardWarner
Bernhard.Warner@Fortune.com

As always, you can write to bullsheet@fortune.com or reply to this email with suggestions and feedback.

Today's read

WeWork, we pay. WeWork founder Adam Neuman is set to collect $500 million in a bruising settlement agreement with majority owner SoftBank, the Wall Street Journal reports, in a scoop. That sum is about half of what he was initially expecting, but, all things considered, not a bad pay day.

Embrace the fear. Traders have a name for the Cboe Volatility Index, or VIX. It's the "fear gauge." And it's climbing again. But fear not. Here's why.

Some of these stories require a subscription to access. There is a discount offer for our loyal readers if you use this link to sign up. Thank you for supporting our journalism.

Market candy

Quote of the day

Back for round 2...30k YOLO, up 309k at the close.

That (apparently) is a day trader who goes by the "jbro12345" handle. On the popular retail investor forum WallStreetBets yesterday, this trader was boasting about his "diamond hands" options bet on GameStop. To translate: jbro has converted a $30,000 options call into a $309,000 return. My colleague Jen Wieczner explains why such chatter is telling us the GameStop rally is making a comeback.

About the Author
By Bernhard Warner
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Newsletters

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Newsletters

How Bobbi Brown reinvented herself—and outperformed the brand that bears her name
NewslettersMPW Daily
How Bobbi Brown reinvented herself—and outperformed the brand that bears her name
By Emma HinchliffeJune 15, 2026
5 hours ago
Twilio CFO on the turnaround that won back Wall Street
NewslettersCFO Daily
Twilio CFO on the turnaround that won back Wall Street
By Sheryl EstradaJune 15, 2026
7 hours ago
At Fortune Brainstorm Tech 2026, Chris Bedi, Chief Customer Officer and Enterprise AI Advisor, ServiceNow; China Widener, Vice Chair and US Technology, Media & Telecommunications Industry Leader, Deloitte; and Phil Wiser, Chief Technology Officer, Paramount, speak on a panel with Kristin Stoller, Fortune editorial director.
NewslettersFortune Workplace Innovation
This tech CEO fired 80% of his workforce over AI resistance. Here’s what he’s learned since then
By Kristin StollerJune 15, 2026
7 hours ago
The management lesson behind FedEx Freight’s break from FedEx
C-SuiteNext to Lead
The management lesson behind FedEx Freight’s break from FedEx
By Ruth UmohJune 15, 2026
8 hours ago
The SpaceX IPO marks a lopsided win for venture
NewslettersTerm Sheet
The SpaceX IPO marks a lopsided win for venture
By Allie GarfinkleJune 15, 2026
8 hours ago
SpaceX tokens are a bust on IPO day—but blame supply and demand, not crypto
NewslettersFortune Crypto
SpaceX tokens are a bust on IPO day—but blame supply and demand, not crypto
By Jeff John RobertsJune 15, 2026
8 hours ago

Most Popular

Social Security's 2032 deadline puts a 22% cut on the table — but Washington has way less room to negotiate than 1983
Personal Finance
Social Security's 2032 deadline puts a 22% cut on the table — but Washington has way less room to negotiate than 1983
By John W. Diamond and The ConversationJune 12, 2026
3 days ago
CEO of $20 billion AI firm Perplexity says the secret to success is ‘sleeping with that fear’ that your competitor will steal your idea
Success
CEO of $20 billion AI firm Perplexity says the secret to success is ‘sleeping with that fear’ that your competitor will steal your idea
By Preston ForeJune 13, 2026
2 days ago
Iran proved it can close the Strait of Hormuz, but the U.S. is advertising very loudly that the world's top superpower can at least punch open a hole
Energy
Iran proved it can close the Strait of Hormuz, but the U.S. is advertising very loudly that the world's top superpower can at least punch open a hole
By Jason MaJune 14, 2026
1 day ago
Boomers actually do hold most of the wealth and power. So why do they call it 'whiny' to point that out?
Economy
Boomers actually do hold most of the wealth and power. So why do they call it 'whiny' to point that out?
By Nick LichtenbergJune 14, 2026
1 day ago
SpaceX surge further boosts Saudi billionaire prince’s fortune
Investing
SpaceX surge further boosts Saudi billionaire prince’s fortune
By Adveith Nair and BloombergJune 14, 2026
1 day ago
AI job disruption is here. The problem may be compounded because nearly 75% of people don't apply for unemployment benefits
AI
AI job disruption is here. The problem may be compounded because nearly 75% of people don't apply for unemployment benefits
By Jacqueline MunisJune 14, 2026
1 day ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.