Currency trading is almost always a short-term speculative undertaking based on the investor’s judgment about whether a given currency will rise or fall on international currency markets. It is almost never a long-term investment to generate more or less stable income. Thus the only people who make money at it are highly specialized speculators, and they often loose money.

Share or stock investment can be speculative for very short term gain, based on whether one thinks a given stock will decline or fall in the near term, or it can be for the very long-term to generate an income stream over time. Speculative stock investment tends to be done by finance professionals, though some ordinary people now do it hoping for a quick buck. Longer-term stock investment is often preferred by people who want stable longer term income, such as those near retirement, and tend to be in stable companies with an established record of good returns: GE, Microsoft, etc.