Stock Investment Isn't Gambling: Michael Yeoh Explains the Facts

Yogyakarta, CNBC Indonesia - Investor and stock trader Michael Yeoh admits he once thought stock investing was gambling. However, this belief was dispelled after he studied the intricacies of investing in such instruments.

Michael said that among his 7-8 friends who used to play games together, one had invested in the capital market. He became the wealthiest among all his friends in that circle.

Indeed, Michael noted that 14 years ago, his friend already had a stock portfolio worth Rp 1 billion. Michael had suspected his friend was gambling because he was buying something whose nature was unknown.

‘Every day I see the charts, see the prices, buy and sell. I confronted him. Then he showed me. From Rp 1 billion, it became Rp 1.5 billion. Then I understood. I was really shocked. It wasn’t him, it wasn’t gambling. I just didn’t understand that world,’ he said during an Edu Class on the topic ‘If You Have Rp10-100 Million Today, Where Would You Put It?’

From there, Michael began self-studying the stock market’s intricacies before joining investment-focused forums.

Interestingly, Michael carried out all these activities secretly. For years, he participated in stock forums and communities without using his real identity, unnoticed by his friends.

Now, Michael views financial literacy and investment learning as highly accessible, given the widespread availability of resources. This ease of access has enabled many to become successful stock investors and influencers.

According to Michael, some of his friends who became influencers spent only five years learning about stocks, with some taking just two. Yet, they achieved significant profits and became practitioners or influencers in the sector.

‘Do I envy them? No. Initially, I thought, wow, how is that possible? But I realised it’s due to financial literacy supported by media and institutions like this,’ he concluded.