Speculation is a financial action that does not promise safety of capital investment along with the return on the principal sum. A person or entity that engages in speculation is known as a Speculator. Speculation typically involves the lending of money for the purchase of assets, equity or debt but in a manner that has not been given thorough analysis or is deemed to have low margin of safety or a significant risk of the loss of the principal investment.^{[citation needed]} The term "speculation", which is formally defined as above in Graham and Dodd's 1934 text Security Analysis, contrasts with the term "investment", which is a financial operation that, upon thorough analysis, promises safety of principal and a satisfactory return.

In a financial context, the terms "speculation" and "investment" are actually quite specific. For instance, although the word "investment" is commonly used to mean any act of placing money in a financial vehicle with the intent of producing returns over a period of time, most ventured money—including funds placed in the world's stock markets—is technically not investment, but speculation.

John F. Stossel (born March 6, 1947) is an American consumer reporter, investigative journalist, author and libertarian columnist. In October 2009 Stossel left his long time home on ABC News to join the Fox Business Channel and Fox News Channel, both owned and operated by News Corp. He hosts a weekly news show on Fox Business, Stossel, which debuted on December 10, 2009. The show airs in prime time every Thursday, repeating on both Saturdays and Sundays. Stossel also regularly provides signature analysis, appearing on various Fox News shows, including weekly appearances on The O'Reilly Factor, in addition to writing the Fox News Blog, "John Stossel's Take".

Stossel practices advocacy journalism, often challenging conventional wisdom. His reporting style, which is a blend of commentary and reporting, reflects a libertarian political philosophy and his views on economics are largely supportive of the free market.

In his decades as a reporter, Stossel has received numerous honors and awards, including nineteen Emmy awards and has been honored five times for excellence in consumer reporting by the National Press Club. John Stossel is doctor honoris causa from Universidad Francisco Marroquín. Stossel has written two books recounting how his experiences in journalism shaped his socioeconomic views, Give Me a Break in 2004 and Myths, Lies, and Downright Stupidity in 2007.

Hugh Hendry is a Scottish fund manager at Eclectica Asset Management. He has become prominent in the United Kingdom for his commentary on the financial crisis.

Born in 1969 in Glasgow, Scotland, Hendry graduated from Strathclyde University in 1990 with a BA in economics and finance. It has been reported that he was the first non-Oxbridge graduate to get a job at the prestigious Edinburgh investment management firm, Baillie Gifford. However, this is not true - the firm started to recruit from other universities in the late 1980s. A number of Baillie Gifford's current partners who joined the firm prior to Hugh are graduates of Edinburgh, Dundee and Bristol.

Hendry has been referred to as "the most high-profile Scot in the controversial (Hedge Fund) sector."

Hendry has recently gained notoriety for railing against government bailouts and moral hazard in interviews and round-robin discussions. On an episode of the BBC’s Newsnight program aired on May 26, 2010, Hendry was featured along with Gillian Tett of Financial Times and Jeffrey Sachs of Columbia University. Hendry responded to a question from host Jeremy Paxman about the current European economic situation and the possibility of a Greek sovereign debt default with the comment, "I would recommend you panic".

Peter David Schiff (pronounced /ˈʃɪf/; born March 23, 1963) is an American businessman, investment broker, author and financial commentator. Schiff is CEO and chief global strategist of Euro Pacific Capital Inc., a broker-dealer based in Westport, Connecticut and CEO of Euro Pacific Precious Metals, LLC, a gold and silver dealer based in New York City.

Schiff frequently appears as a guest on financial television and is often quoted in major financial publications. He is host of The Peter Schiff Show, a radio show broadcast on terrestrial and internet radio. He is a frequent guest on internet radio as well as the host of the former podcast Wall Street Unspun. In 2010 Schiff ran as a candidate in the Republican primary for the United States Senate seat from Connecticut.

Schiff is known for his bearish views on the dollar and dollar denominated assets, while bullish on investment in tangible assets as well as foreign stocks and currencies.

Peter Schiff was born and raised in New Haven, Connecticut. His father, Irwin Schiff, is a prominent figure in the U.S. tax protester movement, currently serving a 13-year sentence for tax evasion. Peter Schiff attended Beverly Hills High School in California, and graduated from the University of California, Berkeley in 1987 with a Bachelor's degree in finance and accounting.