Which of the following is an example of a speculative risk?

• A. The risk of fire to a building.
• B. Stock market investment risk.
• C. A random theft.
• D. A natural disaster risk.

Answer: (B)

Speculative risk involves the chance of both profit and loss—the outcome isn’t merely bad luck; it could also bring gain. Stock market investment risk fits this perfectly because you can make money if the market goes up, or lose money if it goes down. The other scenarios describe pure risks, where the potential outcome is only loss (or no loss at all) and there isn’t an opportunity for gain in the same event: a fire damaging a building, theft, and natural disasters can cause losses but do not present a scenario where a gain accompanies the risk in that moment. That’s why stock market investment risk is the example of a speculative risk.