The 20-somethings betting big on tech stocks

In her teens, Michelle Huynh, the eldest daughter of migrant parents in Australia, made a promise to her family that she would become a millionaire by the time she turned 30.

The 26-year-old describes it as “a somewhat silly promise” inspired by the sacrifices her non-English-speaking parents made to raise the family.

But she is trying to make that dream come true by investing her savings in the stock market.

“Times are so different and investing has become a necessity,” says Huynh, who works in sales for a tech firm. “It feels like our purchasing power is shrinking. This is the only way to combat that.”

This year, the technology-driven surge in stock markets has edged her closer to that goal.

With more than a third of her investments in tech stocks, by the middle of July that part of her savings had jumped this year by 50% – a rise of A$31,000 (£16,100; $21,666).

But those gains have now eased to about A$22,000 as the sector is going through what she calls a “wild moment”.

Huynh says she’s prepared for the volatility, viewing those investments as a long-term bet.

The rise in tech stocks, led by firms riding the artificial intelligence (AI) boom, has attracted large numbers of ordinary investors, many of them in their 20s and early 30s, even as some analysts warn that the fervour around AI may be overblown.

Retail investors have been caught up in the excitement, which has been fuelled by social media and marketing efforts to draw non-professionals, says Glenn Tan from advisory firm Providend.