My Fool colleague James Mickleboro has already covered some of the popular ASX shares from CommSec today. So here are the top 10 international shares that CommSec users were buying and selling last week. This week's data covers June 7-10.

Meme stocks galore for ASX investors

1. GameStop Corp. (NYSE: GME) – representing 5.9% of total trades with a 78%/22% buy-to-sell ratio.
2. AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc (NYSE: AMC) – representing 4.6% of total trades with a 66%/34% buy-to-sell ratio.
3. Tesla Inc (NASDAQ: TSLA) – representing 3% of total trades with a 72%/28% buy-to-sell ratio.
4. Clover Heath Investments Corp (NASDAQ: CLOV) – representing 2.4% of total trades with a 72%/28% buy-to-sell ratio.
5. Apple Inc (NASDAQ: AAPL) – representing 2.3% of total trades with a 76%/24% buy-to-sell ratio.
6. BlackBerry Ltd (NYSE: BB)
7. Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN)
8. ContextLogic Inc (NASDAQ: WISH)
9. Nio Inc. (NYSE: NIO)
10. Alibaba Group Holding Ltd (NYSE: BABA)

What can we learn from these trades?

So what can we learn? Well, that ASX investors are not immune from the 'meme stock' train, mainly. This week's list is dominated by so-called 'meme stocks' – the catchy name given to companies whose share prices are the subject of social media-driven speculation. We can comfortably put GameStop (the original meme stock) in this bucket, as well as AMC, Clover Health, BlackBerry and ContextLogic. Tesla is also viewed as a meme stock by many investors. As is (to a lesser extent) the Chinese electric vehicle and battery manufacturer Nio.

True to form, AMC, Clover, BlackBerry and ContextLogic have all enjoyed Reddit-fuelled spikes in value during the past month or so. AMC is up more than 300% in the past month. Clover shot up almost 150% between 4 June and 8 June. BlackBerry is up 65% in the past month. And ContextLogic enjoyed nearly a 50% bump just last Tuesday. It seems ASX investors are keen to get a slice of the meme stock pie.

In other news, we still see the US blue-chip tech stocks in Amazon and Apple maintaining a dominant positioning on this list. Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba is also a regular inclusion here and just makes the top ten this week.

The post ASX investors couldn't get enough of meme stocks last week appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

Mr Burry is a US hedge fund manager who shot to fame in the global financial crisis of a decade-and-a-half ago. Burry was one of the only fund managers in the US who saw the canaries in the coal mine of the ill-fated US housing market back in 2006 and 2007.

He lost millions of dollars (and many of his investors) betting against the housing market, only to make billions when the housing sector collapsed and sparked the global financial crisis.

As such, he's now one of the most respected money managers on Wall Street. That's despite taking an investing hiatus for a few years after making his 'big short'.

But now, Burry is back (baby), heading the hedge fund Scion Capital. He's also back on Twitter. Here's a tweet Burry made early this morning:

Wow, the "greatest speculative bubble of all time in all things"? Twice over? That's quite a bold statement, to say the least.

Burry bubble, toil and trouble?

Burry has come out before and decried the rise of a number of different trends and assets. These include Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC), Tesla Inc (NASDAQ: TSLA), electric batteries and vehicles, software-as-a-service (SaaS), and so-called 'meme stocks'.

Meme stocks is a term that's emerged to describe companies with share prices that have been caught up in social media-fuelled buying frenzies. It typically encompasses shares like GameStop Corp. (NYSE: GME), AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc (NYSE: AMC) and BlackBerry Ltd (NYSE: BB).

But that's not to say Burry hasn't benefitted from this 'bubble'. According to Markets Insider, Burry was actually a significant holder of GameStop shares before the Reddit-fuelled rampage the company's shares went on a few months ago. He used the opportunity to cash out, no doubt banking a large profit.

Still, this warning will no doubt cause some concern for any investor who follows Burry or accepts his investing prowess.

On a final note, you might notice Burry's Twitter display name is 'Cassandra'. After some quick research, this writer found that Cassandra was a figure in Greek mythology – a Trojan princess who was cursed with the ability to see the truth, but never to be believed.

Another big statement from Mr Burry!

The post 'Big Shorter' Michael Burry calls biggest share market bubble of all time appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

Defining a meme stock

A meme stock is typically regarded as a stock that lacks fundamental backing and is, more so, driven in popularity by hype. Usually, it is retail investors that drum up support for these stocks using social media channels such as TikTok and Reddit.

Once this type of stock 'goes viral', the resulting extreme share price jumps can attract even more investors as the fear of missing out (FOMO) kicks in. This momentum can then lead to a stock price that is divergent from all fundamental measures of analysis. As a result, many commentators see the valuations as humorous – thus, a meme stock is born.

Be warned – meme stocks are not for the faint of heart. The irrational speculation surrounding them is usually paired with violent volatility. Take GameStop Corp (NYSE: GME) for example. The gaming retailer's stock price increased nearly 25% between 4 June to 9 June. Then it proceeded to fall 27% the very next day.

What's all the hype about?

Meme stocks really came to prominence with GameStop. What originally began as a WallStreetBets led short-selling squeeze turned into a full retail investor onslaught. Since then, the attention has spread to several stocks that are heavily shorted – including BlackBerry Ltd (NYSE: BB), AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc (NYSE: AMC), and Bed Bath & Beyond Inc (NASDAQ: BBBY).

The reason many are now talking about these types of shares is because of the potential returns. While the risk is extreme, some speculators cannot dismiss the possible gains on offer. For instance, the US-based movie theatre chain AMC Entertainment has returned 2,837% so far this year. While the valuation may look like a joke, for those who managed to achieve them, the returns are certainly no laughing matter.

However, the catch is, to really capture the upside, you must be among the early speculators. Once a stock reaches the late or FOMO phase, it's often too late. Because of this, many speculators are constantly on the hunt for the next GameStop or AMC…

Foolish takeaway

When it all boils down, meme stocks are extremely high-risk 'investments'. While they may seem like a joke to some, for those left holding the baby when the momentum swings the other way, it can all end in tears.

The stock market is often full of distractions. The potential 'get-rich-quick' investments are often seductive – but unless a company's fundamentals catch up with its share price, it can very easily all come tumbling down.

Lastly, many experts argue that building wealth via the stock market is best done by utilising the power of compounding. It may not be the most exciting way, but it's the easiest way to ensure the stock market doesn't make a meme of your finances.

The post What is a meme stock, and why is everyone talking about them? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.