Morality of traders income

Creators
1

Have you ever felt that guilt when you keep on getting huge profits from trading in stock market.
In our country, we live in a environment or with such a value system where if you earn something by not doing something visible or tangible is looked with bad eyes.
It is hardly believed by society that earning money by putting your money at stake in the stock market is good in morals.
People still think that stock market is like casino though it appears prima facie due to its very nature of speculation I am sure its not. Stock market is like energy source of businesses to which it provides money that they require for their existence and functioning. And no one would argue the role of businesses in building of society and life around it. so in that term, I think, trader is doing a sacred responsible job at his own capital risk.
Again if you are long time investor of stock market you can easily justify your income as sourced from business eventual growth but when you are a trader not worrying about business growth and concerned about only your daily or instant capital growth it becomes difficult to justify that you are earning morally right.
The source of trader could be validly daily decisions of businesses that in turn reflecting in long term growth of business. That goes even deeper and on even more minute level when you are trading in options and futures that form even more smaller part of long term growth.
I have even read interviews of successful traders who keep on donating significant part of their earnings from market to keep away from that guilt of bad earning. But I think that should not be the case as, when you put your money at stake in the market that is enough to convince yourself that you are being part of ‘capital collection journey’ of business though its in form of small trades aimed at daily profits. when you are earning something into the market assume, that you are gaining it from long term investor who has entered into market after you or at wrong time. So you are getting paid for holding the right positions along with helping the purpose of liquidity in market.
I think morality of trader is more complex and difficult to understand than I have touched here.

Please correct me for my lesser understanding of the subject.

4 Likes
2

I will put this bluntly - In trading, two traders may have opposite views regarding a stock/future/option. One buys and the other sells. Whoever is right takes the money and whoever is wrong gives the money. And everyone puts their money at stake to make money knowing this fact. That’s it!

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There are two types of traders; one worries about morality and the other makes money. :smile:

4

Lets consider an another example, Peoples invest their money in some property, keep it for a long term and sell it for a good profit. Do they feel guilt? its the same way if they invest in long term stock investment.

But, this derivatives trading(FnO)/exposure is bit risky that makes the small traders to give all their money to big traders. Most of the new traders attracted to the trading just becoz they think that they can use the exposure and make huge money. But in reality, they lose everything. Every year its the same story… :slight_smile: