[UncleMeat]

There is some speculation involved with stocks, but they are fundamentally different from gold, btc, or art because they are productive assets. They aren't just a thing that sits on the ground and does nothing. They represent some small portion of actual factual work done by human beings to produce goods or services. This is why buying the diversified stock market is investing and buying the diversified crypto market is speculating.

There is risk involved in both, but they aren't identical.

[cromwellian]

According to the USGS, 37% of gold is used in electronics. So gold is also a part of productive assets, and its use in electronics is only increasing.

Bitcoin by contrast isn't a productive asset, has no fundamental property like gold does, that exists outside of its original purpose, and its maintenance requires constant usage of energy just to jog in place. Switch off the BTC network, and value goes to zero, which isn't true for gold.

[ldbooth]

You are conflating a commodity with a cash producing asset like a farm. Show me the cash flows from your gold nugget and I'll show you the cash flows from a farm that produces a usable product in the market.

[anonisko]

A farm is an income generating asset. Farmland is a commodity that does nothing on its own.

An electronics manufacturer that uses gold is an income generating asset. Gold is a commodity that does nothing on its own.

[cromwellian]

Gold contacts on my money producing cloud servers are just as cash producing as tractors on your farm.

[ldbooth]

Your cloud servers:the inputs are irrelevant, the cash flow is from the business services provided.

[UncleMeat]

Gold is a material used in productive assets. But if it sits in your vault it won't do anything. Stocks do, even if they sit in your vault.