Risk-takers show the way to make serious money

The instinct for survival is a curious thing. Some people faced with extreme pressure collapse altogether and accept whatever fate cares to throw at them. Others, after a lifetime of following, suddenly demonstrate astonishing leadership and innovation. But a few brave souls thumb their nose at fate. Marooned on a desert island, they guzzle all their food rations in one day, confident they will be rescued before they have to eat washed-up sea slugs. Similarly, in the current climate of market uncertainty, some investors' gut reaction is to retrench. They move wholesale into defensive sto...