Euphoria Peak
The euphoria peak is the final stage of the bull market where psychological sentiment reaches its maximum intensity. At this point, the fear of missing out, or FOMO, drives irrational buying behavior among the general public, regardless of underlying fundamentals.
Asset prices often experience vertical, parabolic growth as speculative demand outstrips supply. Professional participants often begin distributing their holdings to these late-stage retail buyers.
The belief that the market can only go up becomes the consensus view, leading to a complete disregard for risk management. This phase is characterized by extreme over-leverage and the entry of participants with little understanding of the asset class.
Once the marginal buyer is exhausted, the price momentum stalls, setting the stage for a reversal.