"stock market is a zero sum game" what does this actually mean?

need simple explanation on this.“stock market is a zero sum game”

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A zero sum game is where one person’s loss = another person’s gain. In a zero sum game net change in all the participant’s wealth is zero. Wealth just get’s transferred from one person to another.

Thus theoretically stock market is a zero sum game - while a group of people make money, there is another group that loses equivalent money. Wealth moves from losers to winners.

But in reality stock market is not a zero sum game since both the parties have to pay brokerage and other charges.

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