Is it wrong to capitalize on terrorist attacks?
 

I bet there will be something major going down at the 2010 Olympics next month in Canada. Canadians need that extra bit of fear so that they willingly give up more of their freedoms :thumbsup So if there were to be an attack what would be the best investment? Perhaps bet against the CAD in your FOREX account or buy security related stocks one week before the event?

Is this type of thinking wrong in your opinion?

Wrong? I guess it depends on how it's seen by the masses. For instance in Canada right now several dozen of those contraversial body scanners are being implemented in airports all across the country. At $250K a unit (including training) I'd say someone is profiting from terrorism big time.

Aparently the owner of the company that makes the scanners is a friend of a certain top level politician.

Hmmm, interesting question. How is that any different from betting against a currency because there's some other manmade disaster looming? Unless you KNOW FOR CERTAIN, then that's a different question. But if your BET is as good as any others (ie, no knowledge of certainty of event), no ethical issue there.

People play the market based on contingencies all the time. The ethical issue only arises if people CREATE the event hoping to bank on it.

News it what drives stocks whether it is good or bad.

I have been trading some of the body scanning and bomb detection stocks...
IMSC.OG, VSYM.OB, ICXT, RAE, MOC, IDOI.OB, IDN, ID, ACTI, ASEI

What you're proposing is fine in my book.

You'd be making bets on the big picture.

If you were taking out individual life insurance policies or something ... that'd be a whole different ball game, IMHO.

the news makes millions off of dead kids, missing kids, blown up soldiers, old people stranded dead at sea etc...

capitalism is capitalism, the dead sell well.