Quote from whitster:
do you understand that economies GROW wealth
please compare the real wealth of the lowest income quintile NOW vs. 100 yrs ago.
(or any income quintile for that matter).
where does this wealth come from? does it come from other people (which it would have to if it was a zero sum game).
of course not.
this is so basic Econ 101, i can't believe anybody would argue the zero sum game.
our economy grows wealth by increased economy of scale, innovation, etc. for example, it takes far less man-hours/acreage/resources to grow a bushel of corn now, vs. 100 yrs ago. this frees up manpower for other tasks.
when i am trading YM on an intraday basis - THAT is a zero sum game. because for every winning trade, there is a losing trade. that is not true with the economy, or stock market, as a whole.
Fair enough, but the stock market does not create wealth, the economy does.

