Wall Street Journal Markets readers shared their "shoeshine boy" moments—those everyday encounters that signal market peaks are near. Before the biggest IPO ever and the world's first trillionaire emerged, readers recalled anecdotes that proved remarkably prescient. These stories capture the retail investor frenzy that often marks major market turning points.

Bob Trebilcock remembered a church janitor flaunting day-trading profits with a NAZDAQ vanity plate on his Corvette, only to downgrade to a Subaru after the tech crash. Leon Sandler sold his stocks when his lawn mower guy pushed internet shares in 1999, though he wasn't as lucky in 2008. Geoff Saab witnessed a dentist abandon patients to brag about search engine gains.

These vignettes illustrate how market exuberance spreads beyond trading floors into daily life. When everyday workers become stock experts, professional investors take notice. The anecdotes serve as behavioral finance case studies, showing how irrational exuberance manifests in mundane settings.

Such moments historically precede sharp corrections, offering contrarian signals worth heeding. While stocks soar on tentative Iran deals and record-breaking IPOs, these warning signs suggest market psychology may be overheating.