Shares in GameStop surged more than 60 per cent early on Monday after a post on Reddit purported to show that Keith Gill, also known as Roaring Kitty, had built a position worth $181mn in the struggling video game retailer.

The sharp rise came after Gill’s account, which goes by the name DeepFuckingValue on Reddit, posted a picture late on Sunday that appeared to show he had taken a share stake and options positions in the retailer. GameStop jumped 64 per cent to more than $38 a share shortly after the New York open before trading was halted.

The screenshot indicated Gill had bought 5mn shares in the company, bought at $21.27 apiece, and worth $116mn on Friday’s closing prices. It also suggested that he owned 120,000 call options with a strike price of $20. The options are worth $65.7mn and are due to expire on June 21.