Say Uncle!
November 21, 2018·2 comments·In Brief
The Fed is raising rates. Politicians are complaining. Financial commentators are piling on. But something shifted in how the story gets told. The conversation about Fed policy didn't change because new facts emerged. It changed because the way those facts get connected to market outcomes suddenly became coordinated across newsrooms. What happens when the narrative apparatus becomes this visible?
• A measurable spike appeared in financial coverage linking Fed policy to stock market performance. Starting in late 2018, news stories about the Federal Reserve increasingly mentioned market movements in the same piece. This wasn't isolated to one outlet or one type of coverage.
• The coordination happened without explicit coordination. Political figures criticized rate increases. Media outlets independently amplified those critiques. But when you measure the actual language patterns and story connections, it reads like a campaign.
• Financial media has been more transparent about this messaging than it has in years. The correlation between Fed stories and market references jumped visibly. Researchers tracking narrative patterns found this shift across news, opinion, analysis and research pieces simultaneously.
• The mechanism isn't a smoking gun memo or a conspiracy. Instead it's the invisible architecture of how financial stories get framed. When enough outlets start connecting the same dots the same way, individual readers can't distinguish between reporting and messaging.
• This raises a question about what narratives are built on and who's building them. If coverage can shift this dramatically without new information, what else might be engineered this way? And how do you trust what you're reading when the apparatus becomes this visible?
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This commentary is being provided to you as general information only and should not be taken as investment advice. The opinions expressed in these materials represent the personal views of the author(s). It is not investment research or a research recommendation, as it does not constitute substantive research or analysis. Any action that you take as a result of information contained in this document is ultimately your responsibility. Epsilon Theory will not accept liability for any loss or damage, including without limitation to any loss of profit, which may arise directly or indirectly from use of or reliance on such information. Consult your investment advisor before making any investment decisions. It must be noted, that no one can accurately predict the future of the market with certainty or guarantee future investment performance. Past performance is not a guarantee of future results.
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Comments
That picture from A Christmas Story should be false advertising.
Happy Thanksgiving, Rusty!
Hah! Maybe so - thanks, Jason. Happy Thanksgiving to you, too.
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