BNY Mellon showed a negative relationship between management tone and quarterly net income.
Does not remain notable after adjusting for hundreds of tests. Why?
The analysis measures a same-filing relationship, not a forecast. Limitations
Each dot represents one 10-Q filing. Points farther right have more positive MD&A tone. Points higher on the chart had stronger year-over-year net income growth, after extreme percent changes are capped. Upper-right and lower-left points indicate tone and earnings moving in the same direction. How to read this chart
Tone and earnings moved in the same direction in 12 of 15 comparable quarters.
12 / 15 direction agreement
How is agreement calculated?| Spearman ρ (exact) | -0.200 (p=0.475) |
|---|---|
| Pearson r | -0.141 (p=0.616) |
| 95% CI (Pearson) | [-0.61, 0.40] |
| FDR q | 0.782 |
| Sample size (n) | 15 · More established sample |
| Agreement | 12 / 15 (12 / 15) |
Secondary to net income because revenue concepts are less comparable across some industries.
Revenue comparison is not used for this industry because companies report revenue-like concepts differently.
Why?Annual samples are shorter and are not mixed into the default quarterly board.
Tone shown to three decimals so small nonzero values stay visible.
| Date | Form | Tone | Net income YoY | Revenue YoY |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 31, 2026 | 10-Q | +0.094 | +23.8% | n/a |
| May 1, 2026 | 10-Q | +0.095 | +33.8% | n/a |
| Oct 31, 2025 | 10-Q | +0.052 | +22.3% | n/a |
| Aug 1, 2025 | 10-Q | +0.053 | +21.8% | n/a |
| May 2, 2025 | 10-Q | +0.102 | +19.0% | n/a |
| Nov 1, 2024 | 10-Q | +0.100 | +13.9% | n/a |
| Aug 2, 2024 | 10-Q | +0.107 | +9.5% | n/a |
| May 3, 2024 | 10-Q | +0.112 | +5.0% | n/a |
| Nov 3, 2023 | 10-Q | +0.069 | +167.5% | n/a |
| Aug 4, 2023 | 10-Q | +0.074 | +22.8% | n/a |
| May 5, 2023 | 10-Q | +0.075 | +26.3% | n/a |
| Nov 7, 2022 | 10-Q | +0.072 | -59.0% | n/a |
| Aug 5, 2022 | 10-Q | +0.079 | -15.0% | n/a |
| May 6, 2022 | 10-Q | +0.079 | -16.6% | n/a |
| Nov 5, 2021 | 10-Q | +0.080 | +1.1% | n/a |
| Date | Form | Tone | Net income YoY | Revenue YoY |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 25, 2026 | 10-K | -0.013 | +22.5% | n/a |
| Feb 27, 2025 | 10-K | -0.013 | +37.9% | n/a |
| Feb 28, 2024 | 10-K | -0.013 | +27.7% | n/a |
| Feb 27, 2023 | 10-K | -0.013 | -31.6% | n/a |
| Feb 25, 2022 | 10-K | -0.013 | +3.9% | n/a |