Originally posted by monochrome Oops! I am a professional investment strategist and advisor, and have been for thirty years - and I'm still studying evenings to make myself an even better advisor - but I agree with you that market inputs and popular opinion have distorted the meaning of "investment" to an unrecognizable form.
Please note I use the term "professional" with due consideration - just as you would distinguish a professional photographer from a punter with a Canon.
"The market" is just people like you and me - the combined inputs and decisions of all market participants at any point in time - whether we invest directly or through an intermediary, OUR decisions make markets, including the oil market. If the market is sinister it is because "we" are sinister, or at least trying to achieve the wrong thing in the market.
<rant> If we could change something - if we were King - we would want to change the media, who paint a false picture of the opportunity, foster false hopes and incorrect assumptions, and turn the whole thing into a legal betting parlor. </rant>
I'm not unsypathetic to your position. I just hope I am not painted with the same brush as the "other" guys (probably a hopeless hope).
[EDIT] P.S. Before we get all upset and say something to get Adam mad at us, why don't we go somewhere else and talk about pixels or something
my turn around point at a time when i publicly questioned my professor as to the meaning of modern day marketplace, and after many efforts he told me that i should "see him after class but for now lets continue on with the lesson"
even after i had a private chat with him for an hour he was no able enlighten me.
some basics that i understand firmly:
the stock/securities market is a place where new companies go to raise capital.
whoever owns shares to a company may or may not have some sort of ownership rights, voting, or mayb even apply for the board of directors
ie, a person that wishes to mroe or less partake in the operation of the company.
the secondary market is for people that either grow bored, scared, or need their money back sell their shares to other people willing or wanting to buy.
fast forward to today, with companies havign millions of shares, traded daily, blah blah blah
people/investors buy and sell these things on a daily basis for
no other reason than speculation, people buy into this company or that company but they dotn care, they buy on rumors, insider information, dumb hunches or stupid suggestions.
people dont CARE about the companies into which they buy, customers with thousands of dollars who hire a broker have no clue what their broker is doing, so long as he is making the cash
i can buy 100 shares of microsoft tommorow... but its worthless, i cant do anything with those shares, the only reason i bought them is
in hopes of getting more money out of nothing, and likewise the person selling me these shares thinks that they wont get him anymore money, all the while no one gave two bottle caps about what microsoft is actualy doing!
and this leads to our original point about OIL, people buy this shit only because it has prospects for
making money for doing nothing.
now i'm in no way frustrated with the actual brokers (such as yourself)< the JOB itself is very tedious and requires much knowledge and skills, its your CUSTOMERS that i hate, because when they come to you they only care about the bottom line, and you unfortunely have to do whatever is in your power to satisfy them otherwise you are left out on the street.
i dotn think Adam will kick us out
honestly... this forum needs more in depth discussion about stuff other than "which lens is better" and "my K20D took a funny photo"
while i understand that this site is about photography i think its safe to say that everyone here is more or less and intellectual person... so why not induldge ourselves in little wordly debates.