Northern Trust showed little relationship between MD&A 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 all 1 comparable quarters.
1 / 1 direction agreement
How is agreement calculated?| Spearman ρ (exact) | -0.046 (p=0.869) |
|---|---|
| Pearson r | -0.014 (p=0.961) |
| 95% CI (Pearson) | [-0.52, 0.50] |
| FDR q | 0.974 |
| Sample size (n) | 15 · More established sample |
| Agreement | 1 / 1 (1 / 1) |
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 30, 2026 | 10-Q | -0.039 | +88.0% | n/a |
| Apr 30, 2026 | 10-Q | -0.040 | +34.1% | n/a |
| Oct 30, 2025 | 10-Q | -0.009 | -1.6% | n/a |
| Jul 30, 2025 | 10-Q | -0.051 | -53.0% | n/a |
| Apr 30, 2025 | 10-Q | +0.007 | +82.6% | n/a |
| Oct 29, 2024 | 10-Q | +0.007 | +41.8% | n/a |
| Aug 1, 2024 | 10-Q | +0.005 | +170.1% | n/a |
| Apr 23, 2024 | 10-Q | +0.007 | -35.8% | n/a |
| Oct 31, 2023 | 10-Q | +0.016 | -17.0% | n/a |
| Jul 25, 2023 | 10-Q | +0.007 | -16.3% | n/a |
| May 2, 2023 | 10-Q | +0.007 | -14.1% | n/a |
| Oct 25, 2022 | 10-Q | +0.020 | -0.2% | n/a |
| Jul 26, 2022 | 10-Q | +0.021 | +7.6% | n/a |
| May 3, 2022 | 10-Q | +0.021 | +3.8% | n/a |
| Oct 26, 2021 | 10-Q | +0.007 | +34.4% | n/a |
| Date | Form | Tone | Net income YoY | Revenue YoY |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 24, 2026 | 10-K | -0.165 | -14.5% | n/a |
| Feb 24, 2025 | 10-K | -0.099 | +83.4% | n/a |
| Feb 27, 2024 | 10-K | -0.058 | -17.1% | n/a |
| Feb 28, 2023 | 10-K | -0.089 | -13.5% | n/a |
| Feb 28, 2022 | 10-K | -0.057 | +27.8% | n/a |