Nearly half of Americans buy stocks based on FOMO — and the SpaceX IPO is the ultimate test

Nearly half of Americans buy stocks based on FOMO — and the SpaceX IPO is the ultimate test Laura Boast Sun, June 14, 2026 at 12:00 AM GMT+7 4 min read SPCX If global speculation, buzz and pent-up demand were fuel, the SpaceX IPO would have built up enough to blast a fleet of rockets to the moon. Elon Musk’s private firm launched into the public sphere June 12 with a valuation of US$1.77 trillion (1). That’s more than 430 times what it cost to send the Artemis II crew to the moon for their lunar flyby. Robert Kiyosaki says this 1 asset will surge 400% in a year and begs investors not to miss this ‘explosion’ The ultra-rich use these 5 real estate strategies to build wealth while they sleep — you can start with just $100 Millionaires under 43 are reshaping investing — just 25% of their portfolios are in stocks. Here’s where their money is going The buzz has been building for months, with institutional and retail investors worldwide lining up for this investment moonshot. Competition is fierce. If you have SpaceX FOMO, you’re not alone. But it’s a good idea to pause before buying a stock because you fear missing out. A new survey from Marketwise (2) reveals just how many Americans make investment decisions based on FOMO (fear of missing out) — and what emotional investing can cost you. This May, MarketWise surveyed 1,000 American retail investors about their trading habits and the role emotion plays in their decisions. While only 20% of respondents described themselves as emotional investors, 48% admitted they’d made a FOMO-driven investment in the past 12 months, buying a stock, ETF or crypto at an all-time high. A full 42% admitted that they’d lost money as a result, with an average loss of $1,606. This is the opposite of the “buy low, sell high (3)” mantra. Meanwhile, one in four admitted that they panic-sold stock during a war, election or other geopolitical event — and lived to regret it a few weeks later when the market recovered. More self-described emotional investors said they’d consulted AI on trading decisions, particularly when experiencing FOMO, seeking reassurance. Of those, 34% made money following AI’s advice while 12% lost money. Are financial influencers better? Not for these investors. Of the 1,000 respondents, 52% said they’d followed a finfluencer, but of those, 34% lost money as a result; only 18% made money. The findings also suggest that emotional investing is a generational thing, decreasing with age. Only 23% of boomers admitted to emotional trades, while 41% of Gen Z did so. Emotional investors tend to prioritize different sources than self-described rational investors, with Reddit the top source for 42% of emotional investors and financial news outlets the top source for 46% of rational investors. Read More: About 1 in 5 Americans over 50 has zero retirement savings — here s the catch-up plan you can actually use According to the CFA Institute, herd mentality — particularly FOMO — is one of the biggest biases (4) affecting investors, impacting 34% of their trading decisions. Hall Financial Advisors recommends (5) avoiding herd mentality because it can lead to bubbles and market volatility, with everyone suffering when the market drops. It’s especially risky if you’re saving for retirement. Instead they advise staying the course with a thoughtful investment strategy and a diversified portfolio — and adjusting based on solid research and expert financial advice. As far as SpaceX FOMO is concerned, Morningstar analysts Nicholas Owens and Suryansh Sharma offer some advice to investors eyeing the stock, suggesting (6) that SpaceX is “significantly overvalued” — worth US$780 billion, less than half of its current valuation. They advise waiting to buy it, noting that private investors and employees will be selling more SpaceX shares in coming months, which could moderate the stock price. Car insurance companies use algorithms to find customers least likely to switch — then quietly raise their rates. Here s what that could mean for your bill Dave Ramsey warns nearly 50% of Americans are making 1 big Social Security mistake — here’s how to fix it ASAP Thanks to Jeff Bezos, you can now become a landlord for as little as $100 — and no, you don t have to deal with tenants or fix freezers. Here s how Here are the 4 costs Americans (still) overpay for every single month. How many of these are sabotaging your budget? Join 250,000+ readers and get Moneywise’s best stories and exclusive interviews first — clear insights curated and delivered weekly. Subscribe now. We rely only on vetted sources and credible third-party reporting. For details, see our ethics and guidelines. The Guardian (1); MarketWise (2); Fortune Builders (3); CFA Institute (4); Hallfa (5); Morningstar (6) This article originally appeared on Moneywise.com under the title: Nearly half of Americans buy stocks based on FOMO — and the SpaceX IPO is the ultimate test This article provides information only

Nearly half of Americans buy stocks based on FOMO — and the SpaceX IPO is the ultimate test

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