Profiting on Stupidity and Lies

Posted by $ Abaco 2 years, 3 months ago to Philosophy
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I may be slow...because I finally became sure that often the best profits in equities are made in taking advantage of fake news and the government's efforts to scare the public. My biggest gainer lately has been a monkeypox vaccine producer...just one example. I feel like I'm being very Objectivist in this. What are your thoughts? If you know the truth but the public is believing the lies and fear being peddled is it ok to profit from it? Philosophical question. If the government comes out and says we need to water the crops with Brawndo do you go public and say this won't work or do you buy Brawndo stock? (Idiocracy reference there...)


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  • Posted by freedomforall 2 years, 3 months ago
    "Keynes advocated filling bottles with money and burying them in coalmines for people to dig up as a way to end unemployment. According to Keynes, this would provide jobs and money for the unemployed. Somehow, these public works egg hunts would create an economic boom and make everyone rich."

    The above is what wall street has been doing for the past 50 years, with the assistance of CEOs who were rewarded with bonuses in the tens of millions for converting "productive assets" into "financial assets."
    Wall Street rewards zero sum activities that produce nothing while promoting publicly "investments" designed to steal from the public and enrich Wall Street insiders and their government collaborators.
    Wall Street is as corrupt as DC and deserves the same fate, execution for treason.
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    • Posted by Lucky 2 years, 3 months ago
      Quite so, since Keynes said it, governments have been doing it, and it has made a few people rich. Those bonuses, as far the money represents a claim to real goods and services, are an increase in demand with no increase in production. As you say. But there may be inscrutable effects from psychology, well that could be claimed for anything, and the public get wise to it, realize there is a problem and save instead of spending so the problem gets worse.

      Now in AS, Francisco was quite clear what he was doing and why. Not quite the point of Abaco's" question or is it?

      In the past I have gone with
      Abaco's* first answer- the criticism, but my position should be- Nature tells us that a fool and his money are soon parted, make soon into sooner.
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  • Posted by freedomforall 2 years, 3 months ago
    Do you want to profit from blood diamonds?
    Do you want to profit from Covid scares by buying shares of Moderna?
    Do you want to profit from pump and dump manipulations?

    Wall Street is completely corrupt.
    Examine your own ethics.
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    • Posted by $ 2 years, 3 months ago
      I am in the process of that. And, I wonder how it fits in Objectivism. I'm not convinced it's bad. Is it wrong to short a stock or buy puts in it when you think it will tank? This is different in that it's not predictive (usually) but part of a reactive trend method. The people cry out for a vaccine that can't work. Do I let that opportunity go by? I tell those I love what I know about the science and many use that information. But, the general public is all in. They're going to vote in more looting. If I sit in front of my lawmakers and tell them what I know, tell them the truth, I'd probably get threatened and doxed. I'm not completely convinced I just sit with my money in a piggy bank. But...I keep my mind open and appreciate your input.
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  • Posted by $ Markus_Katabri 2 years, 3 months ago
    Act in your own self interest.
    Nobody else can.
    Everyone else is.
    Go where you are treated best.

    There’s my 4 simple rules.
    I am a very charitable individual.
    But, nobody better try to coerce my charity.
    Nor do I coerce other’s charity.
    But, I do take advantage of people’s stupidity on occasion. Especially if I find them offensive ideologically.
    FFA is correct....it’s all in your own ethics.
    And I believe we will answer to God for our transgressions on our fellow man. But, that’s MY belief. You do you boo. Two things I no longer argue are Jesus and prepping. You either accept it or you don’t. It matters not to me.

    I will not support groups that actively participate in coercion. All the VAX mandate companies for example. Even though I was at one time vaxxed.
    In “another life” I held many of the same beliefs as a SJW. But, the other SJWs drank their KoolAid to the bottom of the cup. I only got a few sips in before I started vomiting.

    I will not try to SCARE people into doing something. Fear is a form of Coercion. So I guess profiting from fear mongering is, in effect supporting it.
    Coercion is the key.
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  • Posted by Aeronca 2 years, 3 months ago
    Two ways to look at shorting stock:

    1-It's a way to say that the stock has been artificially over valued and needs to be tapped down back to reality.

    2-It's an incentive for inside trading, an incentive for people to plot for destruction and profit from it. It's easier to destroy than to create.

    If you predict a company will go down and you short the stock, you're selling crap to someone else. I suppose that Caveat Emptor is in play, but you have to decide if you can sleep a good night after doing that.
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    • Posted by $ 2 years, 3 months ago
      Yeah, I've gotten away from shorting stock. I've not fully eliminated trading options. But, that is a tough game. I watch the media. Watch the hype from the elected officials and put a lot of weight in that in my decisions. I'm mainly technical anymore. Often I'll see a strong upward trend, read the news on the stock, and see that the likes of Fauci or Biden are pumping it. There are ways to protect against the "dump" phase. Recently, I've seen people replaying the clips of Biden and Fauci saying that if you get vaccinated you won't get Covid. Total horse hockey. I knew it, but decided to augment the college fund on MRNA. I went all in on that one, picking up shares while buying calls. When I got the broker on the phone to pull the plug on those calls I remember him saying, "wow!". Cracked me up.

      I'm not some big-time trader. Not full-time. I'm very "objective" when looking at investments. Very Spock-like...

      In terms of shorting - Over the years I've watched very prominent elected officials set up big shorts, probably for their cronies.. That's all I better say about that...
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      • Posted by Aeronca 2 years, 3 months ago
        My strategy is go long. Over a lifetime you'll come out ahead, that is not beat the market but perhaps double your money every 7-10 years. If everything goes to hell, it won't matter anyway.
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