During 2021's meme mania, GameStop and AMC attracted a small fraction of retail trader interest compared to what they are currently seeing.

• Following the online return of Roaring Kitty, everyday investors purchased GameStop and AMC.
• Despite being significant, the inflows were smaller than the peak of the meme-stock mania in 2021, as data indicates.

While mom-and-pop investors are currently making significant purchases, their buying activity pales in comparison to the meme stock frenzy that occurred three years ago.

On Monday, the video game seller and movie theater chain recorded net retail trader inflows of more than $15.8 million and $37.5 million, respectively, according to Vanda Research. However, these figures pale in comparison to the peak daily inflows of approximately $87.5 million for GameStop and $170 million for AMC, which occurred in late January 2021.

On Monday, Keith Gill, known for his role in the meme stock squeeze, posted cryptic messages on X that resulted in more than 70% gains for the pair. This was the first post from Gill on either X or Reddit since 2021.

The meme stock craze experienced a setback on Tuesday as AMC and GameStop, along with other associated names, failed to meet expectations for a broader resurgence. Despite this, they still saw sizable rallies in afternoon trading.

On Tuesday, GameStop and AMC experienced gains of over 55% and 40%, respectively, by 2:15 p.m. ET. Both stocks have increased by more than 150% since the beginning of the week.

Despite concerns from investing professionals that these stocks are advancing without material catalysts, these rallies have caused trouble for the investors shorting them.