Two thinly traded U.S. micro-cap stocks staged explosive intraday rallies on Monday, driven by what appears to be a retail-fuelled short squeeze. VAPE climbed from roughly $56 to about $140 in less than half an hour shortly after the market opened, while VWAV more than doubled from pre-market levels around $4.60 to almost $12 by mid-afternoon. Penny-stock trader and educator Timothy Sykes, who has more than one million social-media followers, highlighted both moves in real time, attributing the gains to over-extended short sellers scrambling to cover positions. Sykes said he began flagging VWAV when it traded below $5 and noted that aggressive short covering later pushed the stock above $11. The abrupt swings underscore the heightened volatility that can grip low-float shares when retail traders converge on heavily shorted names. Such stocks often lack the liquidity and fundamental support of larger companies, making price spikes vulnerable to sharp reversals once buying pressure subsides.