Just count on how much cash you can make by trading alone with 5k transport and then devide it on the average amount of cash you can get from mercenaring in the same period of time. It's a waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay more cash with trading.
Mercing\Pirating is a way, but it's much less profitable. Like Muuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuch. So people are usually doing it for fun, not to actually earn cash.
Psychical problems have nothing to do with balance. The ideal balance can't be achived by default. So if devs will just keep buffing stuff here and there in an attempt to balance what can't be balanced soon they're bound to overbuff things.
From my pov things in cash-earning-industry are already overbuffed so there is no place for more buffs if you're not going to make it retardedly efficient of cause.