FOMO: what it is, why it matters and how to navigate it in 2026?

Financial markets are often portrayed as rational, data-driven systems, yet human emotions consistently influence outcomes. One of the most powerful drivers is Fear of Missing Out (FOMO): the anxiety that others are profiting from opportunities you are missing. FOMO prompts rapid, sometimes impulsive decisions, particularly in fast-moving markets.

While FOMO has existed for decades, it intensified dramatically in 2025. Social media, instant news alerts, and AI-powered trading tools have created an environment where information and hype spread at unprecedented speed. Traders are inundated with charts, trending assets, and influencers promoting the “next big win,” amplifying both the scale and speed of FOMO-driven activity.

Looking ahead, 2026 may see the rise of FOLO (Fear of Losing Out), a subtler anxiety focused on portfolio resilience and risk management rather than chasing every opportunity. Understanding this shift is critical for navigating markets successfully.

This article examines the psychology of FOMO, who is most affected, how technology and market dynamics amplify it and practical strategies for managing emotional trading.

Market FOMO occurs when investors buy assets primarily because they perceive others are profiting. Decisions are often momentum-driven, influenced by hype, social buzz, or recent price movements rather than fundamentals like valuation or cash flow. Essentially, FOMO happens when emotion outweighs careful analysis.

1. Herd Mentality: Following the crowd can drive prices beyond intrinsic value, creating bubbles and sudden corrections.
2. Regret Aversion: Fear of missing profitable opportunities motivates quick action, often at high risk.
3. Social Proof: Peer, influencer, or public success stories amplify perceived value. Social media accelerates this effect, creating viral investment trends.

• AI Companies: Firms like CoreWeave and Circle surged as traders chased hype, entering positions after prices had risen.
• Cryptocurrencies: AI-linked tokens saw dramatic rallies fueled by social media, attracting investors unfamiliar with the technology.
• FAANG Stocks: Even giants like Apple and Nvidia saw momentum-driven trades during AI optimism, sometimes ignoring fundamentals.

FOMO-driven trading is reactive rather than strategic, exposing portfolios to higher volatility and potential losses.

Behavioural finance shows that psychological biases heavily influence investor behaviour, causing markets to act irrationally.

• Herd Mentality: Humans often assume collective choices are correct. Herd-driven buying can yield short-term gains but risks overvaluation (e.g., GameStop, AMC, AI surges).
• Regret Aversion: Fear of missing profits can push trades at market peaks, overriding analysis.
• Recency Bias: Overemphasis on recent performance leads traders to ignore longer-term trends or fundamentals.
• Social Proof: Platforms like Reddit, X, Discord, and Telegram amplify FOMO, encouraging momentum buying.
• Impatience and Greed: Gamified platforms promote rapid trades, attracting younger traders chasing momentum.
• Feedback Loops: Rising prices attract attention → social buzz increases → more buying → amplified FOMO, creating bubbles or corrections.

Mini-Case Study: Nvidia’s 2025 AI surge and a tripling AI cloud token show herd behaviour, regret aversion, and social proof. Both corrected, highlighting the risks of emotion-driven trading.

Fear of missing out affects investors differently depending on their age, experience, preferred investment style, and social influences. Each group’s unique motivations and behaviors shape how they respond to market trends and opportunities. Understanding these variations can help tailor strategies to reduce impulsive decisions and promote more disciplined investing.

• Gen Z (18–28): This group tends to trade quickly and speculatively, driven by viral content and peer validation on platforms like TikTok and Reddit. Their focus is often on meme stocks, crypto, and AI startups, with frequent, reactive trades motivated by quick profits and social recognition.
• Millennials (29–44): Balancing growth and long-term investment goals, millennials use platforms like Reddit and YouTube to track IPO hype and emerging tech. They tend to be opportunistic yet maintain a more balanced approach aimed at wealth-building and financial independence.
• New Retail (<2 years investing): Often new to investing, these traders rely on chat groups like Telegram and WhatsApp for tips on trending stocks and crypto. Their behaviour is marked by high turnover and emotional trades as they seek quick wins and fear falling behind peers.
• Side-Hustle Traders: Managing limited time, these investors act opportunistically on online platforms, often influenced by peer opinions. Their trades tend to be impulsive, driven by goals to supplement income and accelerate wealth growth.
• High-Income Professionals: More selective in their choices, they invest through advisor networks in pre-IPO deals, private equity, and tokenized assets. Influenced by exclusivity and status, they display overconfidence and selective opportunism focused on capital appreciation and prestige.

1. Gen Z and new retail traders exhibit the most reactive, emotion-driven trading.
2. Millennials strike a balance between following trends and thoughtful planning.
3. Side-hustle traders’ limited time amplifies their susceptibility to FOMO.
4. High-income professionals are motivated by exclusivity and social status.

Recognizing these patterns allows investors to better manage emotional impulses and build strategies that enhance long-term performance.

Over the past five years, market FOMO has shifted dramatically, shaped by emerging technologies, economic conditions, and changing investor behaviour. What began as speculative hype driven by social media has evolved through phases of selective caution and renewed excitement fuelled by AI and Web3 innovations. This evolution reflects how investors balance emotional impulses with increasing sophistication in a fast-changing landscape.

• 2020–2022: Meme stocks and cryptocurrencies captured the attention of retail traders, largely propelled by social media buzz rather than traditional financial fundamentals. This led to viral buying frenzies where prices often became disconnected from intrinsic value.
• 2023–2024: Growing macroeconomic pressures prompted investors to adopt more selective strategies. While momentum remained strong in the tech sector, there was a noticeable shift back to fundamental analysis and risk assessment.
• 2025: The market saw a resurgence of intense FOMO driven by AI-related IPOs, pre-IPO investment opportunities, Web3 projects, and AI-linked cryptocurrencies. Advanced tools such as real-time alerts, AI sentiment trackers, and algorithm-driven trading further accelerated rapid, reactive investment behaviour.
• Transition to FOLO (2026): Looking ahead, investors are expected to prioritize FOLO—Fear of Losing Out on quality—focusing on risk management, balance-sheet strength, and sustainable cash flows rather than chasing every emerging trend.

The year 2025 showcased how market FOMO manifests across different asset types, reflecting both excitement and caution among investors.

• AI Equity and IPO Frenzy: Stocks like CoreWeave and Circle experienced rapid price surges driven largely by hype and investor enthusiasm around AI, rather than underlying business fundamentals. This illustrates how FOMO can push valuations beyond realistic levels.
• AI-Linked Cryptocurrency: Various tokens connected to AI infrastructure saw extreme price swings fueled by social media buzz and speculative trading, highlighting the volatile nature of new tech-driven crypto assets.
• Nvidia and Oracle: The sell-off in Nvidia shares and concerns over Oracle’s debt levels revealed a growing investor focus on risk management. These cases show how selective trading and deeper scrutiny are beginning to balance the excitement.

Key Insight: FOMO in 2025 is evolving—it combines the thrill of innovation-driven opportunities with an increasing awareness of risks, paving the way for a more measured FOLO (Fear of Losing Out on quality) mindset expected to dominate in 2026.

Fear of missing out (FOMO) can drive impulsive financial decisions, leading individuals to act on short-term trends rather than well-considered strategies. While the urge to “join the crowd” is natural, succumbing to FOMO can create significant financial and emotional consequences.

1. Buying at inflated prices increases loss risk: When investments are purchased during hype or market frenzies, prices are often artificially high. This heightens the potential for immediate losses once the market corrects.
2. Ignoring fundamentals jeopardizes portfolio resilience: FOMO-driven decisions often overlook the core financial health, valuation, or growth prospects of an investment, which can weaken the overall stability and long-term performance of a portfolio.
3. Emotional burnout impairs judgment: Constantly chasing trends can be mentally and emotionally exhausting, leading to stress and impaired decision-making over time.
4. Confirmation bias reinforces poor decisions and regret cycles: Individuals may selectively focus on information that supports their impulsive choices, ignoring warning signs. This reinforces mistakes and can create a cycle of regret and reactive trading.

Structured strategies, such as disciplined risk management, thorough research, and long-term planning, help mitigate these risks, allowing investors to act rationally even in high-pressure market environments.

Technology can both intensify and alleviate FOMO in investing. Real-time alerts, AI-driven market analysis, and gamified trading platforms can create pressure to act quickly, amplifying impulsive decisions. On the other hand, technology offers protective tools: risk dashboards help track exposure, educational content improves financial literacy, and features promoting JOMO (the Joy of Missing Out) encourage patience and long-term thinking. By using technology thoughtfully, investors can stay informed and engaged without letting emotion drive their decisions.

Market FOMO can tempt investors into impulsive trades, often driven by hype, social media, or peer pressure. Managing it effectively requires deliberate strategies that combine planning, discipline, and self-awareness. The following approaches help investors act with intention rather than emotion:

• Develop a Clear Investment Plan: Outline your financial goals, risk tolerance, and time horizon. Knowing why you invest and what you want to achieve provides a roadmap, reducing impulsive decisions driven by excitement or fear of missing out.
• Apply Risk Management: Use position sizing, stop-loss orders, and diversification to protect your portfolio. Limiting exposure to any single trade or asset reduces financial and emotional risk, helping you maintain discipline during market volatility.
• Pause Before Acting: Implement reflection periods, such as waiting 24 hours before buying or selling. Pausing allows you to analyze decisions objectively, separating emotional reactions from rational judgment.
• Focus on Fundamentals, Not Hype: Base decisions on company performance, growth potential, market trends, and financial statements. Avoid chasing trending assets or viral narratives, which often overlook intrinsic value.
• Limit Social Media and Gamified Trading Exposure: Reduce time on platforms that amplify FOMO. Muting hype-filled channels or avoiding constant price updates prevents impulsive, reactionary trades.
• Maintain a Long-Term Perspective: Prioritize steady growth over short-term gains. A long-term mindset encourages patience, minimizes reactive trading, and fosters strategic decision-making.
• Track Trades and Emotions for Self-Awareness: Keep a journal of all trades and note emotional drivers. Reviewing patterns over time helps identify impulsive behaviour, strengthen discipline, and refine future strategies.

Effectively managing FOMO and FOLO requires more than quick fixes—it involves reshaping how you respond to emotional triggers. Ron Williams’ three-step Roadmap provides a clear framework for building resilience and making strategic decisions.

1. Awareness: Identify personal triggers influenced by biology and environment, such as reward-driven impulses or social media hype. Understanding these patterns helps prevent reactive trading.
2. Change: Implement decision rules, cognitive reframing, and reflection exercises. Pause before acting, view missed opportunities as learning moments, and replace impulsive responses with deliberate actions.
3. Transformation: Embed disciplined routines and positive habits. Consistently monitor trades and emotional responses to reinforce strategic behaviour, reducing the influence of FOMO and FOLO over time.

This roadmap helps investors act from strategy rather than emotion, promoting long-term resilience and more thoughtful market decisions.

The content in this article is provided for educational purposes only. It does not constitute investment advice, financial recommendations or promotional material.