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Pro traders fear the rise of GameStop’s army of retail investors

JPMorgan's survey of 200 traders found that worries about retail was topped only by that of regulation

Retail traders drove a surge in market gains in January using the Robinhood app  GameStop shares rose by more than 2,700% after a band of traders from the online forum Reddit led a campaign to boost its share price, squeezing hedge funds short the stock
Retail traders drove a surge in market gains in January using the Robinhood app GameStop shares rose by more than 2,700% after a band of traders from the online forum Reddit led a campaign to boost its share price, squeezing hedge funds short the stock Photo: Getty Images

The rise of retail traders was one of the biggest concerns for professional traders, a JPMorgan survey found.

When asked to list top concerns around the structure of the market, the bank's survey of more than 200 equities traders found some 20% named the rise of retail traders. The worry was topped only by fears of regulatory reform, which 22% named. About 17% named market fragmentation as a worry.

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