But there is also a longer-term explanation, based on the weakened power of labour after the entry of countries like China into the global employment market.

ECONOMIST: American profits have been high but the trend may not last

In the short term, a simpler explanation may be that a low savings rate has left American consumers with a heavy debt burden.

ECONOMIST: Has the tide turned for corporate profits?

There's an interesting explanation of the origin of the term "phishing" at the Web site for the Anti-Phishing Working Group and it seems to have nothing to do with hippies.

CNN: The world's most poisonous phish

If performance falters in the short term, managers will likely acknowledge the problem and offer a plausible explanation.

FORBES: Everyone Wants Kool Aid: Pruning the Money Management Tree (October 29, 2008)