Most answers you're getting here are on the responsible side i.e. Bogleheads-like. Your question makes it feel like you're ready for some extra risk and I am assuming these 5k aren't your entire savings.
- Wefunder allows you to invest in companies with small amount. Find something really promising there.
- Spend time researching small-cap companies in the $1-$5 range and invest 1K where metrics and fundamentals seem to line up for you. It can be almost like angel-funding but a bit more proven.
- Learn about derivatives and buy Options calls above the current stock price for something you feel will go up significantly in the public markets. This allows you to leverage huge gains from a small amount of capital. In the worst case you end up with nothing. This is an interesting time due to the recent bear market and there are many many stocks ready to go up given the right macro triggers.
Note that selling Options is dangerous and don't do that unless you're an expert - that can land you in big trouble. Leave that for https://www.reddit.com/r/wallstreetbets :)
- Ride strong momentum and trends for smaller companies that have good fundamentals - momentum can be a strong and proven factor for many investments in the public market. I'd plug my own project [0] that's designed to detect low-volatility trends and momentum across the entire market. It's soon going to be in Alpha.
- There are many leveraged ETFs in all directions of the market for different segments - they give outsized returns for market moves of all different kinds. You can speculate and get outsized gains (or losses). Again higher risk.
- There is still plenty of money to be made in the ICO market even in this environment by riding momentum, and it's perfect for smaller amounts due to lower volume involved. Many tokens keep on returning outsized gains all the time. If you have the inclination, you can look into that. Here are some examples from my project: https://i.imgur.com/N4H3pka.png
- https://www.reddit.com/r/weedstocks/
- I can give you many more ideas but they start getting a bit too speculative and into the realm of gambling.
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[0]: https://stockquanta.com and http://coinquanta.com (For detecting crypto momentum)
