[hippich]

Re "spreading misinformation" - not sure which pieces you are specifically talking about. In case of r/WSB I doubt anyone has any illusions what it is about. It is done either for lulz or as a form of protest/activism. In a way - it is form of speech.

[Threeve303]

If bots can hype up conspiracies to target political opponents then why not try it with something in finance?

Basically, astroturf these campaigns to target specific companies in the market. You only need a small dedicated core then the herd follows. As we have seen time and again with social media manipulation.