Ok, I’ve been trying to hold off on this post but I can’t stand it anymore… There are times I just don’t understand journalism or the rules that apply… Especially financial journalism.

So I’m reading William Blair’s piece on Moody’s Corp (don’t have a link to their research – sorry) and I came across this sentence…

“We expect Moody’s second quarter EPS to exceed our $0.66 estimate and quite possibly the $0.69 consensus.”

So tell me – If you think the company will beat your estimate, doesn’t that mean your estimate is really above $0.66? Or is this an analyst’s way of covering his tracks? If MCO comes in at $0.66 he says “hey – i was right – you should give me a raise!” or if they come in at $0.72 he can also say “told you so… I KNEW they were going to beat estimates.” Why can’t estimates actually be what one estimates a company’s report to be?

And then there’s the plethora of puns award that goes out to IBD (I’m a big fan of their work… just not a big fan of the puns). For Deckers, the headline reads “Trendy Boots Kick its Sales Into Higher Gear.” Or “Applebees CEO Sounds Hungry for More.” “Rackable: A Cool Rival in Tough Server Field” (the company makes cooling systems for servers). “Casino Operator Hits the Asian Jackpot in Macau and Singapore.”

So maybe we should have a contest… just for bragging rights. Who can find the corniest nuttiest pun in a financial journal headline.

Does this bother anyone else or am i just nuts?