Are you optimistic or pessimistic about the near-term (two-year) prospects of the American economy and stock markets?
Just keep in mind that an optimistic or pessimistic attitude expressed in a survey does not necessarily equate with action.
And you can hardly expect the public to muster enthusiasm for a project when their leaders are ambivalent or pessimistic.
Because they were born conservative or pessimistic, they chose to become stock analysts (although the accounting profession is always there as a back-up).
The Consumer Confidence Index, a survey of how optimistic or pessimistic people feel about the economy, has been up and down in 2010, and consumers still feel pessimistic about the job market.
In other words, if we train our brains to be optimistic or pessimistic -- to navigate, intentionally or not, the streets and avenues of positive or negative feelings -- we change (just as cab drivers do with their spatial circuits) the emotional circuits in our brains that determine how we respond to the things that happen around us.
But, in the real world, investors periodically become too optimistic or too pessimistic and the market becomes mispriced.
Take into account their bent on the world: perhaps the person is often right, particularly skeptical, or reliably pessimistic.
FORBES: Managing Criticism So You Don't Fall Into Imposter Syndrome
Some may disagree with me on my basic assumptions, either viewing them as over optimistic or over pessimistic, but I think a discussion centered on growth, profitability and the cost of growth is not only a healthy one but one that we should be having about all young, growth companies.
FORBES: Facebook's IPO: Thoughts On Momentum, Pricing And Valuation (It's Still No Buy)
There are valid reasons to be either pessimistic or optimistic.
Americans are more pessimistic than the Indians or Chinese, worried that their children will not enjoy the opportunities that they have taken for granted.
That seems sensible: despite lots of bad press, and a share price far below even the most pessimistic expectations a year or so ago, the Sienese bank still boasts a strong brand and loyal customers.
Or you could go with a simpler but more pessimistic explanation: both the level and growth rate of American potential output is much lower than we think.
Mr. DEUTSCH: Just as we had irrational exuberance a couple of years ago in terms of capital flowing into the markets, I think you have irrational depression now where investors have a, you know, very pessimistic view, whether that's founded or unfounded, until there is some trigger mechanism to turn the tide.
As my subscribers and readers know, there was no one more bearish and pessimistic in 1999, prior to that collapse, or in 2007 and 2008.
So I was surprised to see that people were pessimistic about it because pessimism implies that people may or may not want to do something to change their outlook.
Now, the forecast that the Congressional Budget Office released last week was considerably more pessimistic about both 2010 and 2011 than either of the administration forecasts or the Blue Chip consensus.
Should KBH bounce off trendline support and resume its quest for new highs, an unwinding of pessimistic options positions, a capitulation by the bearish brokerage firms, or a short-squeeze situation could stoke the contrarian flames.
It may be coincidence or a skew in our sample, but the tone of these books is distinctly pessimistic.
应用推荐