Indy, too right.
The whole share market thing is another con by the thieves who created it and promote it.
I understand the concept as Belly has explained, but it still irks me that, like the banks a share holder only helps create a false assesment of the value of a company.
And unlike banks of old, whereby they had to hold Gold to the value of their paper money.
Today, it's all in cyber space, their is nothing tangible to use as a means of valuing something.
At least when the banks held Gold, you had something real to trade with and the only way you could lose was if someone 'stole' that Gold.
Today these bastards, banks or business, a company collapses and the thieves just shrug their shoulders and blame the money market or the economy.
I once heard, somewhere, about not investing in something to do with the banks, it was a play on words, but the punch line was, 'instead, invest IN the bank'.
I didn't get it at first, but then I realised he meant buy into the bank itself, buy the banks shares.
Now given that the govt's around the world, led by the Rothschilds, have shored up any risk of banks going 'tit's up' since the last GFC, they have secured the security, solidarity and safety of their banks with the passing of the 'BAIL-IN' legislation, which is being rolled out across the globe.
Thereby ensuring that banks will no longer be allowed to fail, because they will take depositors money to BAIL-OUT the banks, thereby calling it BAIL-IN.
Remember, 'DEPOSITORS MONEY'.
Ridiculous, impossible I hear you say.
OK, don't take my word for it, look it up yourselves.
So the joke is on us, because the safest place to put your money APPARENTLY? is the BANK?
Somebody please tell me that I am wrong and it's not so.

Well the thread has that huge elephant in the room to content with
The threat is world wide not just Australian
We have wish to deny it, some even hate it, but world trade is our very back bone
It every now and again, gives us the flu or at least a heavy cold
This Time, as in the past, it maybe worse
We can not tell,but we can, in my view, say indys and others, think standing on a tree limb and cutting it , and ourselves off is a good plan
Without world trade,the ability to sell our minerals, wool cattle sheep,food and grain, we would be that Banana Republic we once spoke about
Shares, investing in ball its forms are part of both capitalism and world trade

Bitcoins up 40% over the last 7 days

AC, sorry but I put bit coins in the same category as 'too good to be true', and I've tagged it as a Ponzi.
I know, I've got nothing to back that up with.
All I know is, it just does not sit well with me.
I've always had the belief that if someone is gaining, then someone must be losing.
It is inconceivable to me that you can make money so quickly/easily without there being a cost somewhere.
I am too much of a pragmatist to allow myself to be taken in by greed and backed by the security of not ever having gambled, I am waiting for the piper on the bit coin thing.

I too place no faith in the latest version of shell money bitcoin and its like
But many do, in fact some will invest in it, to try to defeat the coming economic troubles
The down turn if it comes/is here is in part a matter of lost faith
My loss will not include bitcoin, it rises and falls more than the sea

Just because a handful of people become rich via some scheme does not warrant to rely on. Many people become rich from Lottery wins but no-one seems to rely on lotteries !
If anything I have been an advocate for State-run lotteries for unemployed & low wage earners.
This would give many a good break in life AND it would sort the problem of unemployment & Centrelink hassles. Investors only have to put up the cost of the ticket instead of risk losing all.
People on say, over $75,000/year should be ineligible to purchase tickets as should winners to buy tickets again.
Imagine what one or two winners a week would do to the local economy ?