I personally don’t think any stock ever becomes risk free. A...

I personally don’t think any stock ever becomes risk free. A stock or a share is just a piece of paper giving you a right to share in a companies success or failure.

While we all like to say we own x,y or z company we are completely at the mercy of the Board of Directors and major shareholders.

The big four banks ANZ, CBA, NAB & WBC are not considered speculative shares however
what is the difference between WBC and BRN.

BRN is trading at less than half its highest share price and is not paying dividends and has a promise of profits next year.

WBC is trading at about half its highest share price and just failed to pay a dividend and has a promise of profits next year.

Both BRN and WBC are asking shareholders to trust and believe they will keep their promises.

One has recently been fined for serious criminal breaches one has not.

The point is that unlike a tangible asset say a diamond or a gold bar every share you own or think about buying carries risks over which you will have no control and could be worth far less next week than it is today.

My opinion only DYOR.