Zero Sum Game

Most people think the stock market is a zero sum game because there is a buyer for each seller and seller for each buyer so each cancels the other and everything is equal. Not quite.

There are losers here, both the buyer and the seller because each one paid a commission to buy and a second commission to sell. This eats away at the profit of the winner and adds to the loss of the seller if he sold for less than he paid.

How does buying and selling of a stock effect the company? When you buy GM stock from your broker he is completing a transaction between you, the buyer, and someone else, the seller. The company has nothing to do with the transaction other than change the name of the shareholder on their record books. It has no effect on the corporation's finances. It is merely an expression by an individual; fund or pension plan that they think the company's stock will go up.

There is one time that purchasing a company's stock does affect their bottom line. That is when you purchase a new offering called an Initial Public Offering or IPO. The money that you pay for that stock then goes directly to the company and not to another individual. That cash is used as the company sees fit usually to fund expansion to increase both sales and profits.

Now think for a minute about the people who decided to sell their stock in Phillip Morris because they did not want to own a tobacco company stock. Will this make any difference to the company? Not a twit. The person who bought that stock was interested in only one thing ? will it go up so I can make a profit? That is why socially responsible investing makes no sense at all. It only makes the person feel better and is not a true investment decision.

Let's say you bought a stock at $20/share and sold it at $40. Double your money. Great. The guy that bought it sold it at $60 and that person sold it to someone for $80/share. Everyone is happy. So far. But this last stock buyer now watches the stock head down and he decides to get out at $60. Mr. $60 watches it drop to $20 where it dies and does not recover. Sounds like Lucent doesn't it? The last 2 buyers don't think this is a zero sum game.

Let me add that I think the smartest guy in the bunch was the one who took his loss and sold out at $60. He limited his loss and still has money left to find a better issue. He was smart enough not to "wait for it to go back up so he could get out even". Unfortunately, most people think this way. It may be close to a zero sum game, but you don't want to end up with the zero.

Al Thomas' book, "If It Doesn't Go Up, Don't Buy It!" has helped thousands of people make money and keep their profits with his simple 2-step method. Read the first chapter at http://www.mutualfundmagic.com and discover why he's the man that Wall Street does not want you to know.

1-888-345-7870; http://www.mutualfundmagic.com

no-contract cleaning service Mundelein ..

In The News:

Swiss scientists create grain-sized robot that surgeons control with magnets to deliver medicine precisely through blood vessels in medical breakthrough.

Researchers exploited WhatsApp's API vulnerability to scrape 3.5 billion phone numbers. Learn how this massive data breach happened and protect yourself.

Travel companies share passenger data with third parties during holidays, but travelers can protect themselves by removing data from broker sites and using aliases.

Xpeng's humanoid robot moves so realistically that crowds believed it was fake, marking a major advancement in robotics technology ahead of 2026 commercial launch.

Researchers discover phishing scam using invisible characters to evade email security, with protection tips including password managers and two-factor authentication.

iPhone and Android users can reduce battery drain and data usage by restricting Background App Refresh to Wi-Fi connections instead of mobile networks.

Scammers nearly stole an Apple account by exploiting the support system with authentic-looking tickets and phone calls, users can protect themselves with safety steps.

FoloToy restored sales of its AI teddy bear Kumma after a weeklong suspension following safety group findings of risky and inappropriate responses to children.

Threat intelligence firm Synthient uncovers one of the largest password exposures ever, prompting immediate security recommendations.

Viral video shared by Elon Musk shows Tesla's Optimus humanoid robots performing tasks from cooking to construction, garnering over 58.5 million views on social media.

Chinese hackers used Anthropic's Claude AI to launch autonomous cyberattacks on 30 organizations worldwide, marking a major shift in cybersecurity threats.

Apple's new Sleep Score feature gives you a rating for your nightly rest quality. Learn how to set it up on your Apple Watch and iPhone today.

Essential phone settings to enable before losing your device, including Find My network, location services and security features for iPhone and Android.

The Fox News AI Newsletter gives readers the latest AI technology advancements, covering the challenges and opportunities AI presents.

Cybersecurity research shows weak passwords remain a major threat, with simple patterns and number sequences putting millions of accounts at risk.

New Android malware BankBot YNRK silences phones, steals banking data and drains crypto wallets automatically. Learn how this advanced threat works.

FDA approves first human trial for Paradromics' brain-computer interface that could restore speech for paralyzed patients through neural technology.

New phishing platform QRR targets Microsoft 365 users across 1,000 domains in 90 countries. Learn how to spot fake login pages and protect your accounts.

OpenTable now uses AI to track your dining habits and share insights with restaurants. Learn what data they collect and how to protect your privacy.

Google's discontinued Nest thermostats still secretly upload home data to company servers despite losing smart features, raising serious privacy concerns.

New Android malware NGate steals NFC payment codes in real-time, allowing criminals to withdraw cash from ATMs without your card. Learn protection tips.

DoorDash confirms data breach exposing customer names, emails, addresses after social engineering attack. Learn how to protect yourself from scams.

Concerned about Google's AI scanning your Gmail? Learn how to disable Gemini features that access your emails, Drive files and Chat messages for privacy.

Google warns Android users about dangerous fake VPN apps hiding malware that steals passwords, banking details and personal data from phones and tablets.

Apple's digital passport feature lets iPhone users breeze through TSA checkpoints this holiday season using Digital ID technology at 250+ airports.

Zero Sum Game

Stocks & Mutual Fund