Missed out on AMC, GameStop, and Dogecoin in 2021? Here’s Why That’s OK

A GameStop store is seen in St. Louis, Mo., on May 7, 2020. Jeff Roberson/AP Photo

Meme stocks were one of the biggest trends on Wall Street in 2021. Plenty of traders made a killing trading stocks like AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc. and GameStop Corp. and meme cryptocurrencies like Dogecoin.

AMC shares are on track to finish 2021 up more than 1,250 percent, GameStop shares are up 707 percent year-to-date, and Dogecoin is on track to finish the year up an incredible 3,250 percent. Missing out on spectacular gains like that is enough to give anyone a severe case of FOMO, but there are several reasons why investors who missed out on the big meme stock gains in 2021 shouldn’t lose any sleep over it.

Battleground Stocks

First of all, these meme stocks and cryptos are all extremely volatile. In general, risk and reward are fairly balanced in the stock market, and volatility swings both ways. Early AMD and GameStop investors certainly hit a home run in 2021, but investors that were late to the game have struggled. In the past six months, GameStop shares are down 27.3 percent, AMC shares are down 27.7 percent and the price of Dogecoin is down 47.2 percent.