Reddit mention spikes and news sentiment are two different signals. One measures what retail investors are talking about; the other measures how professional media frames the narrative. When they align, the signal is stronger. When they diverge, something interesting is happening.
This tutorial shows how to combine both datasets using FinBrain Terminal.
The Two Signals
Reddit Mentions
FinBrain tracks mention volume across eight investing subreddits:
- r/wallstreetbets, r/stocks, r/investing, r/options
- r/pennystocks, r/stockmarket, r/daytrading, r/valueinvesting
Each subreddit has a different character — r/wallstreetbets skews toward high-conviction short-term bets, while r/valueinvesting skews toward long-term fundamental analysis. A ticker mentioned heavily across multiple subreddits is getting broad retail attention.
News Sentiment
FinBrain’s AI sentiment scoring analyzes news articles and assigns a score from -1 (bearish) to +1 (bullish). This captures how professional media and financial news outlets are framing the company’s story.
Step 1: Find Attention Spikes
Start with the Reddit Mentions Screener to identify tickers with unusually high mention volume.
What Constitutes a Spike?
Normal baseline mention volume varies by ticker:
| Ticker Type | Normal Daily Mentions | Spike Level |
|---|---|---|
| Mega-cap (AAPL, TSLA) | 50-200 | 500+ |
| Large-cap (AMD, PLTR) | 20-100 | 300+ |
| Mid/small-cap | 0-10 | 50+ |
The relative change matters more than absolute numbers. A ticker going from 5 mentions to 80 in a day is a more significant signal than TSLA going from 100 to 150.
Screener Filters
Use the Reddit Mentions Screener with:
- Mention count — Set a minimum to filter out low-activity tickers
- Trending direction — Filter for rising mention volume
Note which subreddits are driving the mentions. If it’s concentrated in r/wallstreetbets, it’s likely a momentum/YOLO play. If it’s spread across r/stocks, r/investing, and r/valueinvesting, there’s broader interest.
Step 2: Check News Sentiment
For each ticker with a Reddit mention spike, navigate to its Ticker Page and check two things:
Sentiment Chart
The sentiment chart shows the daily sentiment score over the past 30 days. Look for:
- Current sentiment level — Is it positive, negative, or neutral?
- Trend — Is sentiment improving or declining?
- Recent shift — Did sentiment change sharply near the Reddit spike?
News Feed
Scroll through the recent news articles to understand what’s driving both the mentions and the sentiment:
- What event triggered the attention? (earnings, FDA decision, product launch, short report, meme activity)
- Is the news coverage substantive or speculative?
- Are there multiple news sources covering the story, or just one?
Step 3: Interpret the Alignment
The combination of Reddit mentions and news sentiment creates four quadrants:
High Mentions + Positive Sentiment
Interpretation: Retail attention and professional coverage agree — the story is bullish.
Caution: This is the most crowded scenario. If everyone already knows and agrees on the bullish thesis, much of the move may be priced in. Look at AI predictions and analyst ratings to see if the fundamental outlook supports the hype.
Examples: Post-earnings beats, FDA approvals, major product launches.
High Mentions + Negative Sentiment
Interpretation: Reddit is talking about it, but the news coverage is negative. This is the classic “controversy attention” pattern.
What to investigate:
- Is Reddit bullish despite negative news (contrarian retail conviction)?
- Is Reddit discussing the negative news itself (retail awareness of risk)?
- Is the negative sentiment from a specific event (short report, earnings miss) or a trend?
Check the Reddit chart breakdown — If mentions are concentrated in r/wallstreetbets with negative news, it could be either “buying the dip” conviction or a short squeeze thesis. If mentions are in r/stocks with negative news, retail is likely discussing the risk.
High Mentions + Neutral Sentiment
Interpretation: Reddit is paying attention, but the news is balanced or there isn’t much news coverage.
What it could mean:
- Reddit found something the news hasn’t picked up yet (early signal)
- A technical setup or options activity is driving discussion (not fundamentals-driven)
- The stock is being discussed for non-fundamental reasons (meme potential, nostalgia)
This is often the most interesting quadrant — retail attention without a clear news catalyst can be an early signal before the narrative forms.
Low Mentions + Strong Sentiment (Positive or Negative)
Interpretation: News is moving but retail hasn’t noticed yet.
Potential opportunity: If significant positive news is breaking and Reddit hasn’t picked it up, the retail bid hasn’t arrived. If negative news is breaking without Reddit attention, panic selling from retail is unlikely to amplify the move.
Step 4: Cross-Reference with Other Data
Combine the Reddit + sentiment analysis with other data on the Ticker Page:
| Data | What It Adds |
|---|---|
| AI Predictions | Does the quantitative forecast align with the narrative? |
| Insider Trading | Are insiders buying or selling during the attention spike? |
| Put/Call Ratio | Is options activity confirming the directional thesis? |
| Analyst Ratings | Are upgrades/downgrades supporting the story? |
The Strongest Signal Combinations
- Reddit spike + positive sentiment + insider buying + bullish AI prediction — Multiple independent signals pointing the same direction
- Reddit spike + negative sentiment + insider buying — Insiders are buying what retail and media are selling — historically an interesting setup
- Reddit spike + neutral sentiment + put/call ratio declining — Options market is getting bullish before the news catches up
Building This Into a Routine
| Frequency | Action | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Daily | Check Dashboard Reddit widget for top 15 mentions | Dashboard |
| 2-3x per week | Run Reddit Mentions Screener for spikes | Screeners |
| On spike | Check ticker sentiment chart + news feed | Ticker Page |
| On spike | Cross-reference with insider trading, AI predictions | Ticker Page |
The Dashboard’s Reddit Mentions widget provides a daily starting point — the top 15 most-mentioned tickers with subreddit breakdown. When something catches your eye, dive deeper via the screener and Ticker Page.