The constantly surprised media.... (suspect, politicians, economic, financial)

[TXboomerang]

What is it with the media that almost every single report that has come out for the last few weeks/months regarding financial news always contains the phrase "more than expected" or "less than expected"?

Why should we believe any of the forecasts if the forecasters are being repeatedly blindsided by unexpected numbers?

[HappyTexan]

Originally Posted by TXboomerang

What is it with the media that almost every single report that has come out for the last few weeks/months regarding financial news always contains the phrase "more than expected" or "less than expected"?

Why should we believe any of the forecasts if the forecasters are being repeatedly blindsided by unexpected numbers?

Remember, these are the same people that "never saw it coming" when the subprimes went bust. These are the same people that "never saw it coming" when the derivatives went bust.

Don't believe any of them.

[ryanst530]

Just ignore it.

Live your life. If situations arise that affect you directly than do what you need to do to get the job done. Stop listening the media and there mass-profiling indoctrination. It bugs me when they lump everyone into categories, and generalize about everything. Phrases like: "People just aren't spending money these days like they used to"... or "People will not spend as much because of the cold weather"... or "People are cutting back holiday shopping because they're not making as much these days"...

Drives me crazy. They're treating us like sheep. People listen to this garbage and psycologically, they believe it and actually adjust there way of life in the way the media is portraying the situation. A lot of people follow the crowd... its human nature. The media does a great job taking advantage of this and therefore has notorious way of "molding", or "forming" the behavior of a large percentage of people in the country.

That is my belief anyway. I refuse to listen to the news, other than to hear actual reports of hard facts... like there is a fire nearby or there is rolling blackout situation in the following days, etc.

This country would be far more stable economically and politically if people avoided listening to the manipulatory media and there plethora of speculation. If something affects you directly, fix it... otherwise live your life as you normally would.

[LauraC]

Originally Posted by TXboomerang

What is it with the media that almost every single report that has come out for the last few weeks/months regarding financial news always contains the phrase "more than expected" or "less than expected"?

Why should we believe any of the forecasts if the forecasters are being repeatedly blindsided by unexpected numbers?

Well, look at the bright side...we haven't found any evidence (yet) in hacked e-mails that they are trying to hide data that shows their models to be wrong and they don't seem to be trying to suppress dissenting opinion. In other words, the finance guys man up. Environmental scientists, not so much.

I suspect finance is over the head of most anchors, general reporters and pundits and they just take the word of politicians and financiers and regurgitate it without questioning.