It depends on what your definition of the word "gambling" is. Most people associate the term with an activity that has a high level of risk. There's risk in just about everything you do, but the level of risk varies greatly depending on the activity. Trading is very similar. There are gambling addicts that come to the market for a fix, and there are careful traders & investors that aren't really gambling. You can't forget that the value of your money typically erodes constantly through inflation. So there are risk associated with not investing as well.
The poll is clear on this issue, and it is the most participated-in poll I have seen in my time here on ET. Trading is NOT gambling.
There's risk associated with just about everything you do in life. Look at what happened in Venezuela. I'm sure they had a lot of citizens that put every single penny they ever saved into a savings account. Then when hyper inflation hit, they lost the vast majority of their net worth. Even if you consider investing to be gambling, not investing has risks as well.
It just comes down to how someone defines the word gamble. I've always considered gambling to be an activity that exposes you to high levels of risk, but if you consider any type of risk to be gambling, I guess life is a gamble. Breathing, eating, drinking, moving & not moving all expose you to some form of risk. The only way to completely remove risk from the equation is to check out.
Well, the answer is more nuanced than that. First, the voters here are hardly objective. Second, even if they were, doesn't mean they are necessary right. Third, the correct answer is, it depends. If the trade has a statistical positive expectancy (because of chart patterns, fundamentals, insider info,etc.) then it is NOT gambling. If I flip a coin and buy a shitload of calls based on that before earnings, THAT is gambling.
Sooo...If a trader trades a statistical positive expectancy....his next trade in "not Gambling" ? Thank you for voting...what say you... Es