Speculation and Speculator

Speculation is investing in some asset with the hope of profiting from a price change in asset. Sometimes speculation is regarded as a form of risky and imprudent investing, and some would contrast speculation with investing. A speculator is one who speculates. Speculation is an action that is the result of speculare—in other words, to observe from a height; of considering the signs of the stars to take a specific action at the propitious moment with the best probability of success; and of scrutinizing something intently. Speculation is applied to the environment of investment markets, referring to those operations in which someone—the speculator—buys shares or commodities at a low price in the hope of selling them at a higher price in the future, generally the ...