After following a few investing groups to get an understanding of how the general population trades, I've noticed the following pecularities:
1. Some people ask for stock tips as though a random commenter will have the next big thing. Do they think anyone throwing out tips on a Facebook Group for specific stocks is thoughtfully considering the financials and a 10-year business plan before committing?
2. There's a recent scandal involving Luckin Coffee (previously touted the "Starbucks" of China) after an accounting scandal. Rather than avoid the stock, many people want to buy in at a discount. Why throw good money after a scandal-ridden company? Remember Enron?
3. People are using highly leveraged ETFs - a lot. Those should only be used if you're a highly-capitalized, short-term investor. The price decay (contango) and high fees required to pay the derivative contracts make these a poor long-term investment.
4. People are buying into to energy stocks already, trying to call the bottom. The problem here is that these companies require oil to be sustained above a certain level for them to succeed. Even if you call the bottom in oil, if it bounces along the bottom for a year, your companies are going to go bankrupt.
Simpler is better. Get ownership at the lowest cost in an index fund. Avoid sectors highly exposed to one area of the economy (like energy) because they depend on commodity prices. I prefer technology going forward because by definition, it encompasses multiple sectors, is scalable, is moving to the cloud where services require a subscription, and because I understand it the most.