It's nothing like the .com boom, CNBC was everywhere. Uber just happens to be really well known by everyone and is thus getting a lot of attention. Your hair dresser isn't likely talking about the Zoom IPO like they would have in 1999.
1998-1999 was sooo crazy. Most stocks kept climbing, high profits dealing with options (calls/puts), almost every week me and my friends celebrated profits. I remember thinking "it cannot be this easy, but it looks like that it is". Then came the big surprise, hehe. Luckily I have always been defensive so I didn't lose a lot of money, but still... .
When your shoeshine person gives you trading tips..
Fixed that for you : when your Uber driver gives you trading tips...
Who still gets their shoes shined?
"JOE KENNEDY, a famous rich guy in his day, exited the stock market in timely fashion after a shoeshine boy gave him some stock tips. He figured that when the shoeshine boys have tips, the market is too popular for its own good."
In case you're not aware, it's in reference to a famous quote by Joe Kennedy, "You know it's time to sell when shoeshine boys give you stock tips. This bull market is over." As the story goes, less than a year before Black Tuesday, a shoeshine boy told him to "...buy Hindenburg."
FWIW I was aware of the the reference and it wasn't lost on me. I was simply reflecting on current state of the shoe shining profession.
Bull markets always draw retail. Smart money needs suckers to hold the bag.