Buy the AMC Float: How Come No One Will Trigger the AMC Short Squeeze?

AMC Market Manipulation or Missed Opportunity? The AMC Stock Saga Deepens

June 3, 2025 – The saga of AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc. ($AMC) continues to grip retail investors, financial watchdogs, and market theorists alike, as fresh allegations of market manipulation resurface—and questions mount about missed opportunities in the face of it all.

Over the past few years, AMC has become a poster child for the so-called “meme stock” phenomenon, where retail traders rallied on social media platforms like Reddit’s r/WallStreetBets to push heavily shorted stocks to unprecedented levels. But behind the frenzy lies a darker undercurrent: allegations of rampant market manipulation, naked short selling, off-exchange trading (dark pools), and the systemic abuse of complex derivative instruments.

A Known Float—And a Missed Fortune?

While AMC’s market cap has fluctuated wildly, at numerous points in the past, its entire public float—the total number of shares available for trading—could have been theoretically bought up for a few billion dollars. Some retail analysts argue that even amid the manipulation, a major financial entity or hedge fund with vision and capital could have seized the opportunity. By purchasing the float and letting the short positions collapse under their own weight, they could have potentially triggered another “infinite squeeze” akin to GameStop’s 2021 run, cashing in on both skyrocketing stock prices and the derivatives associated with them.

“It wasn’t just a bet on a movie theater company. It was a calculated play on broken market plumbing,” one anonymous institutional trader told us. “The sheer number of synthetic shares in circulation indicated a major price dislocation just waiting to be harvested.”

Evidence of AMC Manipulation Mounts

Recent disclosures and trading pattern analyses point to abnormal short interest, repeated fails-to-deliver, and disproportionately large volumes of AMC shares trading in dark pools—well above industry averages. According to FINRA and SEC filings, AMC frequently ranked among the top tickers for off-exchange activity and short volume, yet the stock price remained oddly suppressed compared to its peers.

Retail investors allege that market makers and large institutions employed complex options chains and deep-in-the-money calls to manipulate the stock’s price, while synthetic shares diluted the real float. Many have called on the SEC to enforce existing laws more rigorously or enact new regulations to stop the apparent abuse.

Why Didn’t the Big Players Step In?

The central question remains: If the market was so manipulated and ripe for disruption, why didn’t a well-capitalized player—be it a hedge fund, sovereign wealth fund, or activist billionaire—step in, buy the float, and force the issue?

Some speculate that fear of regulatory blowback, lack of conviction in retail’s staying power, or quiet behind-the-scenes collusion dissuaded large players from attempting a squeeze play. Others believe that the ecosystem of counterparty exposure—between prime brokers, market makers, and hedge funds—meant that unleashing a true squeeze could have triggered catastrophic financial contagion.

“The system is designed to protect itself. If you bet against it and win too big, you become a systemic risk,” said one former regulator turned whistleblower.

Retail AMC Investors Remain Defiant

Despite the setbacks and perceived corruption, AMC’s retail army remains defiant. Armed with screenshots, trading receipts, and data from platforms like Ortex and Bloomberg terminals, they continue to track anomalies and advocate for transparency. Their collective thesis: AMC is still heavily manipulated, and the truth—like a coiled spring—will eventually erupt.

“Someone could’ve made a fortune exposing the system from the inside,” said a top AMC-focused YouTuber. “Instead, it’s been up to us, the retail crowd, to peel back the layers and show the world what’s really going on.”

The Bottom Line

Whether AMC stock is the victim of sophisticated financial engineering or the stage for one of the greatest missed opportunities in modern market history, one thing is clear: The story isn’t over. As regulators face mounting pressure and retail investors dig deeper, the final act of this financial drama is still unwritten.