Once upon a time a stock would go up when a company reported good quarterlies and go down when these numbers tanked. These days, whether the numbers themselves are good or bad, is less important than whether they meet or beat "analyst expectations." The guesses of a few Wall Street economists, most of whom have an astonishingly bad predicting record, thus transcends real performance when it comes to determining stock prices—providing a real incentive for these worthies to guess low so as to have their expectations exceeded and the stock to rise...

The King Of Expectations

The numbers may look awful
And may cause brief palpitations
But look a little closer
They still beat my expectations.

I'm the guy they call for answers
'Bout the way a stock should go
If my call's too high it tumbles
So I tend to call 'em low.

We're all hoping, really hoping
The economy will bloom
In the in'trim, though, stock traders look 
To me to pace their boom.

I'm the hero of the markets
I'm the king of expectations
I'm the guy who spawns the profits
With low ball prognostications.

*****

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"Nowadays, you can't turn on the TV without some talking head telling you about the economy. Yet, in a world overrun by 'analysts,' only one man has the guts, the brains, and, quite frankly, the poetry to put it all in perspective.That man is Michael Silverstein... Silverstein is a true intellectual." — Gersh Kuntzman, The New York Post

"Few people have found much to laugh about in the stock market this year. Michael Silverstein is the exception. The Bard of the Bourse can find humor in losing money, globalization and stock options." — USA Today

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