Back in late 1994, tech company Netscape launched its web browser to the world. And no one knew it at the time, but that moment sparked what would become the most explosive investment boom in modern history…
Over the following four years, from late ‘94 to ‘99, the Dot-Com Boom gave early investors the chance to become millionaires… even billionaires. Just look to Stripes founder Ken Fox. Alongside Walter Buckley and Pete Musser, Fox became a ‘paper billionaire’ by investing in B2B e-commerce companies during this profitable era.
Though, massive paydays weren’t just reserved for early investors. It turns out that it didn’t matter if you were in the market on Day One.
In fact, the biggest gains actually came during the Dot-Com Boom’s second half.
How Today’s AI Boom Mirrors the Dot-Com Era – And What It Means for Investors
See: Cisco (CSCO), the poster child of this boom.
As the world rushed to build out our modern internet infrastructure, the networking solutions provider saw demand for its equipment soar. The stock became a massive winner.
From early 1995 to summer 1997 – early in the Dot-Com Boom – CSCO rallied about 200%
But did you know that the majority of the company’s gains came in the ‘second half’ of that boom?
Between summer 1997 and late ‘99, CSCO went parabolic, soaring an absurd 800%.
In other words, in the first two years of the dot-com era, Cisco stock tripled. Then, in its last few years, CSCO rose about 9X.
It’s the same story with Viavi Solutions (VIAV), another networking solutions provider for the internet buildout.
In the Dot-Com Boom’s first half, from early 1995 to summer ‘97, that stock rallied an astounding ~500%.
But from mid-97 to late ‘99, it absolutely skyrocketed – nearly 3,000%.
Qualcomm (QCOM) followed a similar pattern.
That stock doubled in the first half of this boom, between early 1995 to summer ‘97. Then, it soared more than 2,800% from summer 1997 to late ‘99.
Lather, rinse, repeat for other massive internet stock winners of the 1990s like Semtech (SMTC), Applied Materials (AMAT), Oracle (ORCL), Paychex (PAYX), Sanmina (SANM), etc.
All were huge winners in the Dot-Com Boom. And all produced their biggest returns later on in the game.
Why?
Not because of Netscape’s browser debut, but because of what came after…
Why the Biggest AI Investment Opportunities Are Still Ahead
As with most emerging technology, it took a few years for web browsers like Netscape to gain widespread adoption.
But once they did, the stage was set for the internet’s “acceleration phase” – a period when groundbreaking applications like Amazon emerged, built on top of those browsers, and went on to transform the world.
Right now, the exact same thing is happening once again. Except this time, it’s all about AI.
The AI Boom began in late 2022 with ChatGPT’s launch – the “Netscape moment” for this generation. Since then, AI has dominated headlines, and AI stocks have soared.
But make no mistake…
We are not at the end of this profitable era – merely the midpoint.
In fact, if history is any guide, the next 24 months could be even bigger than the last 24 – just as 1998 and ‘99 were even more profitable for investors than 1995 and ‘96.
But this time… something is different. Someone is interfering – U.S. President Donald J. Trump.
That is, over the past several weeks, Trump has unleashed a cascade of tariffs, reigniting a global trade war and throwing the stock market into absolute chaos.
We’ve seen historic up days, followed by devastating crashes. Some of the best – and worst – one-, two, and three-day stretches in market history have occurred over the past three months.
Very recently, the volatility index (VIX) – Wall Street’s fear gauge – was flashing 52.33; a level we saw at the depths of the COVID Crash and 2008 financial crisis.
It’s been one of the most volatile three-month stretches in stock market history.
And yet… the biggest shock hasn’t even happened yet.
How a May 7 Trigger Could Launch the Next Big Rally
Think back again to the Dot-Com Boom: The market has been here before.
In 1998, global currencies were in turmoil, Russia defaulted, and Long-Term Capital Management collapsed. Pundits were convinced that the Dot-Com Boom was finished.
It wasn’t.
Right in the middle of that chaos, the biggest tech rally in history took off.
I think history is about to repeat.
That’s because, on May 7, I believe President Donald Trump and a message coming out of Washington will help trigger a $7 trillion panic in the markets as investors on the sidelines – and all the cash they’re holding – rush to jump back in as opportunities open up.
This crucial economic event ties together everything happening now — the stock market chaos, the trade war headlines, the AI Boom, and every single investor’s portfolio.
This feels the same as 1997 — the panic, the fear, the headlines. Beneath it all, however, a massive opportunity is quietly forming.
When the powers that be in Washington take the stage on May 7, they could light the spark.
This Thursday at 7 p.m. EST, I’m hosting a free urgent briefing to prepare you for what I’ve been calling The 2025 Summer Panic.
I’ll walk you through the historical parallels, show you why the AI Boom is far from over, and reveal what could happen on May 7 – and how to position yourself.
For reasons I’ll explain Thursday night, a crucial economic event that President Trump is pushing hard for is set to ignite this rally in a small specific group of stocks as soon as next week.
During that free broadcast, I’ll make sure you have all the details on the seven small companies I’ve identified as the biggest potential winners of The 2025 Summer Panic…
Again: Thursday night, 7 p.m. EST. Clear your calendar. What happens next could go down in history.
On the date of publication, Luke Lango did not have (either directly or indirectly) any positions in the securities mentioned in this article.
Questions or comments about this issue? Drop us a line at langofeedback@investorplace.com.
