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I still cannot believe anyone has any "real" money tied up in something like MtGox. Disturbing, stunning.

In other news that may also surprise you, there are people who put millions of dollars into companies that don't even have working products yet.

A great example of the difference between investment and speculation. Pouring money into a company without a product helps fund development of that product.

People buying shares on a secondary market aren't really helping fund product development, at least not in any direct way.

But you'll still see folks putting large sums of money into something like a small biotech company that doesn't have a working product yet.

It's speculation, of course, but that's the point. People speculate all the time, some of them with large sums of money. Shouldn't be surprising news.

I'm one of those dummies stucking with mtgox (BTC frozen, € still "on it's way" home). It eases the pain, to be part of it. This wild west will disappear, but there has to be beginning. I believe in freedom and the banking system isn't. It isn't stabilizing our economy, it furthers a cleptocracy and destabilizes the system. Banksters even get premiums for that and when they fail, a bailout, just to take their premiums from there.

That makes such woes some sort of contribution towards a better economy.

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