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Redditors are right about the unfairness of the market

bloomberg.com

41–50 of 233 posts

Re: Redditors are right about the unfairness of the market

#41
post #13

I understand that people shouldn't benefit from insider information for their personal trading - but there are rules around this. Blanket banning stock trading has a lot of downsides. Its an important part of everyone's financial wellbeing - esp if you are wealthy or powerful. I left my job in financial industry primarily because of this.

Public service used to be thought of as a sacrifice for the good of all people. For many people it is. Teachers, social workers, public defenders, armed service people. All of these people make a pittance compared to what they could in the private sector. Saying a congressperson or a judge should be allowed to trade stocks simply because it affects their well being is an argument that appears rather frail. I would be…

> Teachers, social workers, public defenders, armed service people.

I don't agree with that in all cases. I have a friend who is a teacher and admits teaching is a great job for him (2nd grade) and he doesn't know what he would do otherwise. Probably some type of physical work. He is a great guy, but just isn't that sharp. He is punctual and dependable, but not real good at thinking on his feet. He makes about $82k teaching (20+ years experience in a reasonably affordable area) and I can't think of another job that would pay him that well, give him the summer off, great healthcare and a pension.

I know a few more teachers and perhaps it is the group of people I hang out with, but they all are closer to him than to some person making a sacrifice for the good of society.

Re: Redditors are right about the unfairness of the market

#42
I've been down-voted for years for saying this, but I am right. The stock market is a scam. Just like casinos in Las Vegas. The house wins more often than we do. 'You need to diversify' simply means 'Give us more of your money'.

Don't fall for it. It's just rich people and politicians taking money from less rich people.

If you want to double your money, fold it over and put it in your pocket (and buy real things that appreciate over time).

Re: Redditors are right about the unfairness of the market

#43
post #42

I've been down-voted for years for saying this, but I am right. The stock market is a scam. Just like casinos in Las Vegas. The house wins more often than we do. 'You need to diversify' simply means 'Give us more of your money'. Don't fall for it. It's just rich people and politicians taking money from less rich people. If you want to double your money, fold it over and put it in your pocket (and buy real things that…

>Don't fall for it. It's just rich people and politicians taking money from less rich people.

How do rich people make money in the stock market if it's a "scam?" And how do politicians use the stock market to take money from anyone? (usually they use taxes to do this) What about index funds, which usually have proven returns and require no special knowledge?

Re: Redditors are right about the unfairness of the market

#44
post #38
post #13

I understand that people shouldn't benefit from insider information for their personal trading - but there are rules around this. Blanket banning stock trading has a lot of downsides. Its an important part of everyone's financial wellbeing - esp if you are wealthy or powerful. I left my job in financial industry primarily because of this.

> Its an important part of everyone's financial wellbeing But should it be? It seems to me this is part of the problem: the outsized role the stock market plays in our financial system today.

I think that's a pretty valid question to ask, but one that doesn't sit right with the typical neo-liberal/venture-capital clientele on HN.

The wishful image of financial autonomy and chances of personal and business development through a public market seems to provide too much cognitive dissonance when confronted with the realities of how bloated, speculative, manipulated, and self-fulfilling stock markets have become.

It's like telling someone who's put their entire live saving into bitcoin that it's a pyramid scheme. I mean any other idea would probably die on here, once it's been shown that it's success is coupled to NP=P being true.(https://arxiv.org/abs/1002.2284)

Re: Redditors are right about the unfairness of the market

#45
post #42

I've been down-voted for years for saying this, but I am right. The stock market is a scam. Just like casinos in Las Vegas. The house wins more often than we do. 'You need to diversify' simply means 'Give us more of your money'. Don't fall for it. It's just rich people and politicians taking money from less rich people. If you want to double your money, fold it over and put it in your pocket (and buy real things that…

How does this work with inflation? Like you have to put your money somewhere that’s appreciating at at least the rate of inflation or you’re losing money.

Re: Redditors are right about the unfairness of the market

#46
post #13

I understand that people shouldn't benefit from insider information for their personal trading - but there are rules around this. Blanket banning stock trading has a lot of downsides. Its an important part of everyone's financial wellbeing - esp if you are wealthy or powerful. I left my job in financial industry primarily because of this.

I can't see the downside in affecting the financial wellbeing of the wealthy and powerful.

Re: Redditors are right about the unfairness of the market

#47
Well well, another anti-capitalist op-ed from Bloomberg. The least surprising thing I've read today.

"Recent events suggest their [Redditors] suspicion that the decks are stacked against them is justified – which is a terrible look for capitalism."

Insiders profiting from private knowledge is hardly unique to capitalism. I think the author should check out China over the last 20 years to see truly stunning examples of insider profiteering. Feels more like the author wants to fill out their 2021 finance article bingo card than make a real connection here.

"[Insiders] also increased their buying and selling in the gaps between audit reports being produced for company boards and being made publicly available, and exploited rules governing scheduled trading schedules for profit."

I mean - insiders are required to schedule their trading activities ahead of time. There are whole groups of people who's trading strategies revolve around reading those disclosures and make the same trades.

And of course a little bit of the 2021 media's favorite tactic: "guilty until proven innocent"

"And while they said the trades were within the central bank’s rules, both are being scrutinized further. “We’re looking carefully at the trading that was done to make sure that it’s in compliance with our rules and with the law,” Fed Chairman Jerome Powell told the Senate Banking Committee."

So wait, no concrete evidence their trades were against the rules, but Bloomberg will publish this hit piece anyways.

"And the growing prevalence of the fastest-growing companies staying off public markets and funding their expansion instead with private capital keeps them out of the portfolios of retail buyers, further stoking suspicion that the covenant between capitalism and society is asymmetrical and biased against individual investors."

What....? Loads of IPOs this year. And for those that are still private, or eschewing the public markets for whatever reason: no private company has an obligation to give Joe Retail Investor the ability to buy and sell shares of the entity.

Bloomberg has really become a joke.

Re: Redditors are right about the unfairness of the market

#48
post #42

I've been down-voted for years for saying this, but I am right. The stock market is a scam. Just like casinos in Las Vegas. The house wins more often than we do. 'You need to diversify' simply means 'Give us more of your money'. Don't fall for it. It's just rich people and politicians taking money from less rich people. If you want to double your money, fold it over and put it in your pocket (and buy real things that…

>Don't fall for it. It's just rich people and politicians taking money from less rich people. How do rich people make money in the stock market if it's a "scam?" And how do politicians use the stock market to take money from anyone? (usually they use taxes to do this) What about index funds, which usually have proven returns and require no special knowledge?

[deleted]

Re: Redditors are right about the unfairness of the market

#49

I hate to be a cynic, but the rules have never really applied to the guys at the top of the market. In business school you’re flat out told that “the role of government is to pick the winners”. And the associated cases were generally about compromising regulatory authorities — with the goal of showing why the side with more money almost always wins. Everyone below you on the food chain sees you as a payday and is wil…

And don't forget on different ways to perform regulatory capture: sometimes it's cheaper to stage a military coup than to try to make "your" politicians win popular elections. That usually is reserved for banana republics, of course.

Re: Redditors are right about the unfairness of the market

#50
post #42

I've been down-voted for years for saying this, but I am right. The stock market is a scam. Just like casinos in Las Vegas. The house wins more often than we do. 'You need to diversify' simply means 'Give us more of your money'. Don't fall for it. It's just rich people and politicians taking money from less rich people. If you want to double your money, fold it over and put it in your pocket (and buy real things that…

I think investing long term across a diverse portfolio is a pretty safe bet no?
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