[jariel]

"In stock market you're not playing against other people, including the "pros". You try to pick companies that will grow in the future."

Ah ha!

This is the fallacy, unfortunately.

Once stocks are public, it's more akin to poker than investing.

Every time you buy a stock, there is someone on the other side, wanting to sell it to you for the same price.

Now, you have to ask yourself the question - why is that person will to part with something that you think is going to be worth more?

If everyone were doing 'value investing' I think there would be a case.

But with day trading, leveraged into option trading ... it's poker. People are 'making bets on stocks' just like they would on horses.