On video sharing app TikTok, where 85% of users are under 35, there have been 5 billion and 1.4 billion views for #sidehustle and #finance, respectively.
This time last year McVeigh had limited interest in financial markets, but, after getting bored during lockdown, he now has a portfolio worth a quarter of his annual salary and a YouTube channel where he blogs about companies. "Memes or videos of people waving dollars around are a similar culture expression of joy as risk," said Dr Cesar Albarran-Torres, a media lecturer at Swinburne University of Technology in Australia.
The rule never changes: buy low, sell high. In other words: buy in secret, sell on hype.