Gambler, Trader, Speculator or Investor

[Hilarymannah]

It's analogous to racing round a track (the gamble),..fine tuning the engine to win "better" is speculation,...placing money on the speculator is,..hmmm,.investing

My point being,....we're all on the same track !,....

 

[DionysusToast]

Isn't this all semantics? Is there perhaps even a cultural bias at play too.

Regardless of the timeframe or instrument, if you buy something you are doing so with the expectation that someone else will buy it from you at a higher price later on.

This sounds like gambling to me.

On the other hand, if you only make a move when you have a positive expectency, it doesn't sound like gambling to me. Yet this is what good poker players do.

 

[Emini-mouse]

in common terminology-
a gambler gambles on a horse race
a speculator gambles on the stock exchange

 

[Liquid validity]

It's analogous to racing round a track (the gamble),..fine tuning the engine to win "better" is speculation,...placing money on the speculator is,..hmmm,.investing

My point being,....we're all on the same track !,....

Yeah I'd agree with that as an analogy for gambling and speculation

 

[Liquid validity]

Isn't this all semantics? Is there perhaps even a cultural bias at play too.

Regardless of the timeframe or instrument, if you buy something you are doing so with the expectation that someone else will buy it from you at a higher price later on.

This sounds like gambling to me.

On the other hand, if you only make a move when you have a positive expectency, it doesn't sound like gambling to me. Yet this is what good poker players do.

True, arguing over labels and terminology probably is pointless.
All that really matters is the bottom line, long term profit or loss.
The only reason I entered the discussion again regarding semantics is that it can be misleading and confusing, yet when you dig deeper does anything really change...

I still say trading when done right with a decent strat and most importantly MM is speculation, whatever you call it, its just a label.

 

[Hilarymannah]

To end the debate:

Gambling is an "umbrella term" for said activities,....end of story!

 

[Liquid validity]

To end the debate:

Gambling is an "umbrella term" for said activities,....end of story!

I prefer speculation as an umbrella term for financial trading.
Speculation is gambling with risk management.
Gambling implies no risk management.

Who here trades with no risk management?
I know I should let it go
The reason I posted again when I wasn't going to is that risk management is an important difference that should not be overlooked as that is the key element in trading.

 

[tar]

trading with an edge is not gambling , it is not important to make money in every trade , gambling is risking money for unknown outcome , trading with an edge is much different cuz u risk money for a known outcome , ofcourse u know u will lose sometimes but u know that after X trades u will gain x% , this discussion is going no where , if u guys dont know the difference between gambling and successful trading then u r gambling not trading ...

 

[Liquid validity]

Tar, spot on

 

[Hilarymannah]

Liquid and Tar,....hmmmm

Bigot comes to mind,.....tum de dumb,...

A limited perspective can be a dangerous thing to behold !
Although, saying that,...I do admire your tenacity,... onwards and upwards,..

 

[Liquid validity]

Liquid and Tar,....hmmmm

Bigot comes to mind,.....tum de dumb,...

A limited perspective can be a dangerous thing to behold !
Although, saying that,...I do admire your tenacity,... onwards and upwards,..

It wasn't my intention to come across as a bigot, nevertheless, if that is your opinion, then from your point of view it is true. I probably have persisted with this debate for too long. Apologies if I came across as intolerant, that was not my intention.

 

[Hilarymannah]

Liquid,.. Your comments imply a gracious demeanor,..good luck to you and yours for the future

BTW: I never really take any perspective for reality,..just paths to more lucrative destinations!
Also,.. looking back over our "debate" is quite the revelation to others,..(believe it or not), so don't knock it,..

 

[Liquid validity]

Liquid,.. Your comments imply a gracious demeanor,..good luck to you and yours for the future

BTW: I never really take any perspective for reality,..just paths to more lucrative destinations!
Also,.. looking back over our "debate" is quite the revelation to others,..(believe it or not), so don't knock it,..

Likewise, good debate. Glad we cleared that up

 

[timsk]

Hi all,
I've just added a new FAQ to the Trading FAQs forum: Is Trading the Same as Gambling? I've added this thread to the third post entitled 'Useful links'. Hopefully, I've included the key ideas expressed by members here and in the many other threads devoted to the subject. If I've overlooked any important ideas, please post them to the FAQ and I'll try to include them in the Long Answer when I next update it.
Cheers,
Tim.

 

[sharanki]

Is there really a difference?

 

[sharanki]

Sports betting is very similar to option trading with the spread in sports being similar to the IV in options

 

[shadowninja]

Is there really a difference?

Only to those who just can't quite grasp what gambling means.