‘HOTTEST ad out there’: Trump triggers Wall Street surge after praising Sydney Sweeney campaign

American Eagle Outfitters shares jumped the most since 2000 on Monday after US President Donald Trump touted the company’s ads — pushing the retailer’s stock into meme stock territory.

The shares spiked 24 per cent on Monday after Trump said in a social media post that American Eagle’s recent marketing blitz with actress Sydney Sweeney is the “HOTTEST ad out there.” He said American Eagle jeans are “flying off the shelves.”

It’s not yet clear whether the ad campaign – which controversially celebrates Sweeney’s genetic traits as well as her jeans – is actually convincing shoppers to buy the company’s apparel. Analysts say the real test will be how American Eagle performs during the crucial back-to-school season as consumers begin to stock up on jeans and other autumn essentials.

So while Trump’s comments on Monday don’t reveal any new information about the company’s performance, they do add to the hype around American Eagle shares. And that’s drawn investors betting on the hype itself – a telltale sign of a meme stock.

“What are meme stocks for the most part? Individual investors chasing after the hottest stock,” said Matt Maley, chief market strategy at Miller Tabak & Co.

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Monday’s move pared the stock’s year-to-date decline to 20 per cent. The company has been battered by sluggish demand and last quarter it registered a $US75 million charge related to a writedown of its spring and summer merchandise.

Some traders who drove up the shares on Monday are probably betting that the spotlight on the company will translate into greater sales.

But that alone doesn’t explain the magnitude of the share move, Maley said, adding that American Eagle executives should seize on the interest by, for example, issuing more shares. Meme stock darlings AMC Entertainment Holdings and GameStop have done this in the past.

Representatives for American Eagle didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

“In the short term, traders are very adept at chasing hype,” said Steve Sosnick, chief strategist at Interactive Brokers. “If one believes that the more this is talked about, the better it is for the stock, then that certainly is a boon.”

“Whether or not that translates into more or fewer people buying the actual products” after Trump weighed in won’t be clear for “days, weeks or quarters,” he added.

American Eagle Outfitters just had its best day on Wall Street in 25 years after Donald Trump praised its ad campaign starring Sydney Sweeney.Credit: AP

The interest in American Eagle is likely to continue, even if there’s not another major precipitating event like a social media post by the US president. “The momentum is there,” Maley said. “Today’s marketplace with algorithmic trading, not only does it create buyers, but it eliminates sellers.”

While Sweeney, a sought-after face for brands, has provided a pop for stocks in the past, those gains haven’t always endured.

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A year ago, footwear company Crocs disclosed Sweeney as a global spokesperson for its HEYDUDE line. The stock rose 4.1 per cent on the day of the announcement, but since then, shares are down nearly 30 per cent.

Bloomberg

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