In recent decades, GoPro and Krispy Kreme have both become the quintessential examples of Wall Street speculation, being popularized on the rise among retail investors. Once one of tech’s most loved companies, GoPro has become the poster child for a penny stock, floundering below $1 for much of 2025. On the other hand, Krispy Kreme, known for their sweet treats, is another low-cost stock to watch, selling for about $4 a share. Behind this dramatic surge is a broader trend of risk-seeking behavior among investors searching for high-risk, high-reward opportunities.
Dangerous, speculative trading has skyrocketed. That boom aided the S&P 500 hit one more all-time excessive on Tuesday, a rise of greater than 7% in 2025. This backdrop has pushed retail investors to chase after risky strategies. In fact, they frequently refer to these sorts of strategies as YOLO, or You Only Live Once. This mindset encourages a go-big-or-go-home speculative mentality. Jurassic blockchain has found a receptive audience on WallStreetBets, the online forum known for fueling the GameStop trading hysteria in 2021.
Krispy Kreme has nearly 28% of its float shares sold short. That’s evidence that a lot of investors are shorting the stock. GoPro has roughly 10% of its float shares sold short. Heavy short-selling is a sign of substantial underlying volatility. This opens opportunity for volatile price fluctuations, luring in risk-seekers.
WallStreetBets is abuzz over GoPro and Krispy Kreme, LinkedIn posts showcasing contrarian companies like these are reaching thousands of views and likes. A notable post highlighted the phrase “YOLO DNUT,” blending the YOLO ethos with a playful reference to Krispy Kreme’s product. This type of community engagement is a testament to the excitement constituents feel for these green stocks.
Market watchers have been tracking the elements that have fueled this speculative rally. Wolfe Research pointed out that several elements have fueled investor confidence: “We attribute the initial phase of the junk rally to removal of downside risks to U.S. GDP with passage of the OBBB bill, hopes for several Fed rate cuts between now and Y/E, stronger than expected U.S. economic data, and tariff news flow being not as bad as feared.”