Fallacy Alarm

Fallacy Alarm

This Is A Meme's World.

The dangerous game of volatility harvesting in the world's hottest market segment.

Rene Bruentrup's avatar
Rene Bruentrup
Oct 12, 2025
∙ Paid
7
Share

TLDR Summary

  • Investors are typically volatility averse. All else equal, the more volatile an asset, the less they are willing to pay for it. The higher the VIX, the lower the S&P 500.

  • In contrast, meme stocks feed on volatility. The more volatile they are, the quicker they can make their owners rich. Volatility attracts capital. The more volatility priced into Tesla stock options, the higher its market cap.

  • Shrewd management teams are taking advantage of that by issuing warrants and similar derivatives structures. This suppresses volatility by countercyclically managing share supply. Ultimately, this destroys the ability of the meme stock to serve its purpose. Option leverage will disappear. And with it large amounts of market capitalization.

Fallacy Alarm is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.


More similar content from Fallacy Alarm

The Momentum Bubble

The Momentum Bubble

Rene Bruentrup
·
Aug 1
Read full story
The Great 2023/24 Short Call Burn.

The Great 2023/24 Short Call Burn.

Rene Bruentrup
·
March 4, 2024
Read full story
Shorting UVXY: Madness or Money Maker?

Shorting UVXY: Madness or Money Maker?

Rene Bruentrup
·
July 25, 2023
Read full story
Why is Tesla stock so manic?

Why is Tesla stock so manic?

Rene Bruentrup
·
June 9, 2023
Read full story
Liquidity Provision Risk Premium and the Cost of Leverage

Liquidity Provision Risk Premium and the Cost of Leverage

Rene Bruentrup
·
March 25, 2023
Read full story
The Great Pandemic Era Option Bubble

The Great Pandemic Era Option Bubble

Rene Bruentrup
·
February 12, 2023
Read full story

Share


Risk aversion vs. risk affection

In the article below, I introduced the terms “stairs-up-elevator-down assets” and “elevator-up-stairs-down assets”.

Volatility: A story of stairs and elevators

Volatility: A story of stairs and elevators

Rene Bruentrup
·
November 26, 2024
Read full story

Stairs-up-elevator-down assets
Most investors are choosing their portfolio allocation based on their assessment how much risk they are able and willing to bear. An insurance company with a ton of claims coming up will be mostly in cash and money market. A young professional with a high saving rate and a long investment horizon will be mostly in stocks.

This post is for paid subscribers

Already a paid subscriber? Sign in
© 2025 Fallacy Alarm
Publisher Terms
Substack
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start writingGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture