Willis Towers Watson 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 1 of 2 comparable quarters.
1 / 2 direction agreement
How is agreement calculated?| Spearman ρ (exact) | -0.121 (p=0.666) |
|---|---|
| Pearson r | -0.116 (p=0.680) |
| 95% CI (Pearson) | [-0.59, 0.42] |
| FDR q | 0.811 |
| Sample size (n) | 15 · More established sample |
| Agreement | 1 / 2 (1 / 2) |
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 | +0.070 | -30.8% | n/a |
| Apr 30, 2026 | 10-Q | +0.048 | +26.4% | n/a |
| Oct 30, 2025 | 10-Q | +0.006 | +118.1% | n/a |
| Aug 1, 2025 | 10-Q | -0.042 | +134.8% | n/a |
| Apr 24, 2025 | 10-Q | -0.031 | +23.7% | n/a |
| Oct 31, 2024 | 10-Q | +0.031 | -1331.6% | n/a |
| Jul 25, 2024 | 10-Q | +0.095 | +50.0% | n/a |
| Apr 25, 2024 | 10-Q | +0.015 | -6.4% | n/a |
| Oct 26, 2023 | 10-Q | +0.035 | -28.4% | n/a |
| Jul 27, 2023 | 10-Q | +0.026 | -13.8% | n/a |
| Apr 27, 2023 | 10-Q | -0.020 | +66.4% | n/a |
| Oct 27, 2022 | 10-Q | -0.002 | -79.0% | n/a |
| Jul 28, 2022 | 10-Q | -0.038 | -40.8% | n/a |
| Apr 28, 2022 | 10-Q | -0.003 | -83.4% | n/a |
| Oct 28, 2021 | 10-Q | +0.012 | +646.3% | n/a |
| Date | Form | Tone | Net income YoY | Revenue YoY |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 25, 2026 | 10-K | -0.030 | +1737.8% | n/a |
| Feb 25, 2025 | 10-K | +0.002 | n/a | n/a |
| Feb 22, 2024 | 10-K | +0.000 | n/a | n/a |
| Feb 24, 2023 | 10-K | -0.044 | n/a | n/a |
| Feb 24, 2022 | 10-K | +0.043 | +323.9% | n/a |