#Educational Post
Fear Of Missing Out (FOMO)
FOMO is the emotion that investors feel when they flock to buy an asset in fear of missing out on the profit opportunity. As there are heavy emotions involved, FOMO by a large number of people can lead to parabolic price movements. Investors "FOMO-ing" from asset to asset in a game of musical chairs can often signal the later stages of a bull market.
When emotions are rampant, many investors may jump into positions out of FOMO. This can lead to extended moves in both directions and may trap many traders who try to counter-trade the crowd.
FOMO is also commonly used when designing social media apps. Have you ever wondered why it's usually more difficult to view posts on social media timelines in strictly chronological order? This is also related to FOMO. If users were able to check all the posts since their last login, they'd have the feeling that they've seen all the latest posts.
By deliberately mixing older and newer posts on the timeline, social media platforms aim to instill FOMO in users. This way, the users keep checking back again and again in fear that they're missing out on something important.
