In 1999 at the peak of the internet bubble, QQQ launched and retail piled in. Then came the 73% drop and 15 years underwater

1999, internet bubble at its absolute peak. Nasdaq 100 was on fire. First ETF tracking it, QQQ, got launched and a ton of retail investors rushed in.What waited for them was a free fall.

2000: down 36%
2001: down 33%
2002: down 37%

Three years, total loss of 73%.

The scarier part? Those retail buyers who jumped in at the top had to wait a full 15 years just to get back to even.