[Deo volente]

The sales numbers were ever-so-slightly better than expected, so the stock market is soaring on the “good news”.

Ridiculous.

[hinckley buzzard]

If this gambit worked well, then we can expect a steady flow of "better than expected" data of all sorts emanating from the Ministry of Truth.

I remember the dotcom bubble, when every no-name startup would issue quarterly reports that "beat expectations by a penny." The suckers would buy, the stock would go up, and the burn rate continued.