I disagree with your last sentence but agree with the rest.
See, someone can buy a stock on the ipo(MSFT) and sell 10 years later for 100. Then they can own for a while and sell higher. As long as the company stock is increasing over time, that sentence is not necessarily correct.
The stock market is not a zero sum game like options. The mkt is a positive sum game in the long run. No guarantee that continues but it’s likely.
Options are a zero sum game except for commissions and fees….
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