hedge funds are name of the game. They can take any small - mid cap publicly traded company into bankruptcy at will. Food prices .. they control oil prices they control. YOu want to make money ? Find the biggest baddest hedge fund and give them control of your money. Berkshire method no longer works these days for new investors. Buffet makes money because he has billions ... even at a 2% gain it adds up to huge amounts of loot. this is screwed!
You know what the real name of the game is? It's called spell check. Please use it and quit making annoying threads like this. Everyone is really sick of them.
Actually, Vegas gives you a better shake. Lose money in Vegas, and you'll at least get some comps. The mistress of the markets will take your money without so much as a "Wham Bam Thank You Ma'am," and give you no mercy.
With your perspective, anything done in life is a gamble... I assume that you greatly overestimate the power of hedge funds... While they obviously have a lot of power, they can't totally manipulate the market. If you're looking for the real "bad guy" look no further than governments and perhaps the FED... What you need to realize on Wall Street is that is run by a herd mentality. That being said, when one big player (whether it be a private fund as a hedge fund, mutual fund, pension fund, etc.) makes a move, the majority of professional investors follow. This heard mentality is likely the reason crude oil is so high today. So don't make it appear as a sinister plot conducted by hedge funds. What happens is that one big player goes either long or short on a stock, and the rest follow. They watch the tape and follow. Although mutual funds cannot short, they obviously can sell shares of a company (if they possess the shares) that is being shorted by the hedge funds, leading to a great decrease in stock price.
To the OP, I think you mean to say "figuratively" not "literally". If Wall Street literally is a casino, then you would "literally" see slot machines, blackjack tables, hot hookers, etc.. Come to think of it, there are plenty of hot hookers around there... You get the picture.