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Why VanEck’s new meme stocks ETF might not be Reddit-worthy

A veil of artificial intelligence and social media hides an index no different to any other S&P 500 tech tracker

Demand for a product like the VanEck Social Sentiment ETF increased during January’s Reddit-fuelled Gamestop saga
Demand for a product like the VanEck Social Sentiment ETF increased during January’s Reddit-fuelled Gamestop saga Photo: Pavlo Gonchar/Getty Images

An ETF that tracks an index composed of stocks picked for their popularity on social media launched on 4 March to great acclaim, making a bigger splash on the New York Stock Exchange than BlackRock.

The VanEck Vectors Social Sentiment ETF (BUZZ) raked in an estimated $280m in inflows on its first day of trading, according to Bloomberg Intelligence, ranking it among the 12 best debuts on record.

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