The 2020 Tech Bubble Explained

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In this post, I’ll be explaining ‘The 2020 Tech Stock Bubble’ crisis, through the lens of the Dot com bubble of the 90’s. In the process, I’ll also provide educational content on technically spotting a bubble through different phases.

What is a Financial Bubble?
A bubble is said to have formed when equity prices rise significantly, far beyond their proper valuation, in a short period of time. Bubbles are intangible and hard to spot, but their existence is undeniable, and hard to ignore. As such, it’s important for traders and investors to manage their risk before the bubble bursts.

What is the Dot-com Bubble?
- The Dot-com Bubble, also known as the Internet Technology Bubble, was a rapid rise in US tech stock equity valuations fueled by retail and institutional investments in internet based companies during the late 90s.
- During this bubble, we saw an exponential move in the market, in which the Nasdaq index rose from under 1,000 to over 5,000 within 5 years.
- The Dot-com Bubble grew out of a combination of speculation: investing in internet tech-stocks at the time was the typical get-rich-quick scheme, as there were huge venture capital funds ready to be spent on startups with minimal substance.
- Capital flew into those companies, in hopes that they’d be profitable one day, and these investments were done in an extremely bold manner, with retail investors and institutional investors both looking to maximize profits on a speculative basis.

What are we seeing today?
- The market we are seeing today is not moved by investors who are looking at the long term prospect of the company. The Nasdaq Index overextending well above the 20 Simple Moving Average (SMA) on the monthly demonstrates that the market is driven primarily by momentum.
- After the strong ‘V shape’ recovery we witnessed from the Corona Virus (COVID-19) stock market crash, people are trying to expose themselves to the financial market with the wrong mindset- chasing the next big thing, that will make them rich quick. The general public is trying to speculate where all the money is flowing into, and they arrive at one conclusion: tech stocks.
- As such, it could be said that on a bigger picture, the market’s characteristics we see today are very similar to that of the Dot-com bubble. With a clearly bullish market trend, the number of new investors who are introduced into the market increase by the day, and with the profits they witness through growth stocks (and tech stocks in particular), 30% gains in a day has become a new norm for them.

However, this does not indicate that one should liquidate all their assets, and cash out before the bubble bursts.

Counterarguments
1. Introduction of liquidity by the Fed
The Federal Reserve has been printing money at an unprecedented rate in order to rescue the economy from the Coronavirus pandemic. As such, it’s only logical that the stock market rises at least as the same pace at which money is being supplied. The Fed’s approach towards money supply is completely different from that of the 2000’s, which is why comparing the current tech-driven bull market to the Dot-com bubble is an incorrect analogy.

2. Momentum
Relating to the reason above, it could be said that momentum was introduced to the market trend ever since the Fed started actively intervening in the economy. They decided to leave the interest rates near zero, at least until 2023, which indicates that momentum could continue throughout for years.

3. Fundamentals of Tech Stocks
Unlike companies of the Dot-com bubble, tech companies today demonstrate some value and substance. Amazon (AMZN) is one of the few companies that survived the Dot-com bubble burst, and later grew to become a multibillion dollar conglomerate. Arguably a tech stock, Tesla Motors (TSLA) has also shown incredible performance in their financials over the past few quarters, demonstrating substance in their rise in stock prices. Whether the current valuation of the tech giants leading the Nasdaq index today is another question. One thing that’s very clear is that with the 4th Industrial Revolution, companies in the tech field show unprecedented rates of growth and innovation, which could justify the current bull market.

How to Spot a Bubble
Spotting a bubble is extremely difficult, if not, impossible. Most people weren’t aware of the Dot-com bubble until they later thought about it in retrospect. However, referencing Hyman Minsky and Charles Kindleberger’s work can help us understand the structure of a bubble, and the characteristics of the market in each phase

1. Displacement
Bubbles star with a shock to the system. They could be events like war, political change, technological innovation, or the introduction of a new monetary policy. A displacement creates a new opportunity for a sector of the economy, and in this case, it’s technology.

2. Boom
A boom begins as optimism grows. A positive feedback loop leads to greater investment, which then leads to economic growth. Borrowers increasingly become more willing to take on debt and risk.

3. Euphoria
Participants expect prices to increase at unsustainable rates, and even with a small number of people realizing there is a bubble, they continue to participate in the market thinking that they can load their assets to someone else before the market bursts. The general public begins to enter the market as media attention grows, and as individuals see their friends and acquaintances get rich. This is the phase of irrational exuberance.

4. Distress
At some point, an event that causes a decline in confidence takes place. Depending on each bubble, panic can set in immediately, or could take several years to fully develop.

5. Panic
When a crisis takes place, most people don’t even realize that it’s happening. Insiders and institutional investors are usually the ones to sell first. Panic is introduced into the market at retail investors all attempt to sell at the same time. This sell-off caused by panic continues until investors are convinced that cash will be made available to meet demand, leading investors to buy back in.

Conclusion
Despite the current stock market index highly resembling that of the Dot-com bubble era, we also have to take into account the fact that many factors that fundamentally affect the stock market have changed. Also, considering that the Dot-com bubble lasted almost 5 years, even if we could confirm that the current market trend is a bubble, it does not necessarily indicate that the bubble will burst immediately. While it’s difficult to have patience, and suppress the urge to sell at the peak, buy back in when the market bottoms, investors should realize that there is still a lot of capital that could potentially flow into the market. As such, in lieu of trying to time the top, they should be focused on the market trend’s momentum, and execute their orders based on the confirmations provided by the market.