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Ownership isn't a new concept, we brought it over on the mayflower and it's been thriving in North America ever since.

And the Mayflower actually came via Holland, where they pretty much invented stocks and exchanges - and maybe looking at the history helps understand the "rationale" behind owning stocks.

The Dutch invented the idea of joint stock companies.The Dutch East India Company was the first company to issue stocks and bonds. The whole construct originally existed to mitigate the (significant) risk of sending a ship to the East Indies. In most cases it didn't come back, but if it did, it's cargo would make you rich.

So, instead of taking the risk all yourself, why not split the risk up in, let's say, 100 pieces, and agree to split the profits in the same ratio. Thus you can invest in 100 1% pieces, and have a reasonable expectation that some of the ships come back and give you some amount of wealth.

But in buying shares in a company, you take on part of the risk and benefit of the company business plan - if they fail, you have lost your money, if they succeed you will get some benefit (as dividends).

Of course, what then happens is people start speculating on the odds of a company succeeding, and create a market of derivatives - again a construct originally designed to mitigate the risk of crops failing or raw material prices changing.

Let's not get into junk bonds...