Stock Trading

[satay]

Namaskar,
Now that I am in some sort of weird mood and my afternoon is shot I will post this here.

What do you think of Stock Trading activity? Is it dharmic? Is it gambling?
What's your view?

By stock trading I mean buying and selling of stocks on the stock exchange for the sole purpose of making profit on your investment.

Just curious.

[Darji]

Namaskar,
The sole purpose of making profit on your investment.

This statement plus the fact "there are risks" makes it gambling

Why, feeling the wall street itch Satay-ji?

[Sahasranama]

If you are very studious about it and disciplined, I don't think it's like playing the lottery. If you don't know what you are doing it's gambling. But in fact with almost everything in life, there's probability involved. It really depends on your approach.

[satay]

This statement plus the fact "there are risks" makes it gambling

Yes, that's what I suspected.

Why felling the wall street itch Satay-ji?

No. It's just that I was talking to a co-worker who manages his own investments, by stock trading. He is not a hindu or anything but we were talking about the trading game and I told him that trading seems like gambling. Of course, he doesn't see it that way. That got me thinking that we hindus can gamble on diwali night. That reminded me of the Diwali nights in India when I was growing up there and my dad's friends would come over and play cards. Of course, they were just playing with small change...for tradition's sake.

So Stock trading is gambling. Can it be considered adharmic? But then again, we see in Mahabharata that khasatriya especilly kings gambled with each other as sport. (Thinking out loud on the internet can't be a good thing...)

[NayaSurya]

We were just getting ready to cash in stocks my husband was given during his years at his employer. They gave them to us, so we kinda had no choice.

I used to bet on the Kentucky Derby every single year. This year we spent the 100$ on the children and took them all to the movies. Much better choice.

I had never thought about the fact it could be wrong to have stock...I'm glad we are getting rid of it. I hate when companies give stock instead of bonus. Well...if I worked at Google I wouldn't say that:P

[Darji]

Yes, that's what I suspected.
Thinking out lound on the internet can't be a good thing...

Not when you have to moderate it LOL

[satay]

namaste Naya,
No, I don't think there is anything wrong with having your company stock especially if that's one of the perks or benefits. I am thinking more about the activity of buying and selling stocks as in online trading for the sole purpose of making money.

Then again, we go to work also for the sole purpose of making money. or no?

I wish I worked for google too. My place of work has no such thing as stock.

I had never thought about the fact it could be wrong to have stock...I'm glad we are getting rid of it. I hate when companies give stock instead of bonus. Well...if I worked at Google I wouldn't say that:P

[satay]

Not when you have to moderate it LOL

True that.

[NayaSurya]

Wait...would that mean when you put money in your employer's IRA's ...retirement plans where your employer bundles it with stocks...that you would be doing something wrong?

Under the mattress looks better every day:P

[satay]

No, I don't think so.

Wait...would that mean when you put money in your employer's IRA's ...retirement plans where your employer bundles it with stocks...that you would be doing something wrong?

By stock trading I mean having an online trading account and buying/selling stocks on the NYSE for example.