2 thoughts on “Can Reading Fiction Make You a Better Investor?”

  1. Speaking of financial reports, etc….analyst Laura Rittenhouse asserts a measurable connection between the clarity vs obfuscation index of the CEO’s annual shareholder letter and the company’s subsequent performance. (In her 2010 report, Sherwin-Williams came out first on the “clarity” side, with Cisco worst in the other direction.)

    Also, a study cited here suggests that use use of language suggesting “charistmatic vision” in shareholder letters has tended to lead to a higher % of “buy” ratings from analysts…along with excessive earnings forecasts from the analysts.

    It would be interesting to plot the letter on 2 axes, with the “charismatic vision” score being one and the “clarity vs obfuscation” score being the other.

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