Every morning, just before the opening bell’s echo chimes, a familiar orchestra tunes up on television. The set is immaculate. The charts glow obediently. Voices speak with absolute calm, even when the markets are anything but.
No names are necessary. The format is universal.
A lead conductor sits at the centre—measured, assured, never rushed. Around him, a rotating ensemble of “experts” nod knowingly, finishing one another’s sentences. The vocabulary is precise enough to sound scientific, vague enough to escape accountability.
This is not analysis. It is performance.
Certainty as a Product
In a business defined by uncertainty, certainty has become the most valuable commodity. Viewers are not sold information; they are sold reassurance. Every move is explained, every fall is rationalized, every mistake is reframed as “temporary.”
Targets float upward and downward like kites—always tethered, never grounded. If they are missed, it is not an error; it is the market’s failure to behave “logically.”
The tune never stops.
The Timing Paradox
There is an unspoken rule in the markets: opportunity whispers before it shouts. By the time a stock is discussed with studio lighting and dramatic music, the whisper has long passed.
What arrives on screen is not discovery, but confirmation—often late, occasionally dangerous. Viewers arrive after the early birds have eaten, just in time to admire the crumbs.
Nobody calls this deception. It doesn’t need to be.
The structure does the work.
Liquidity with a Human Face
Institutions require volume. Volume requires belief. Belief requires authority. Television provides all three, neatly packaged between commercial breaks.
The retail investor does not feel exploited; he feels included. He is “part of the story.” Until, quietly, he isn’t.
Debates Without Consequences
Day after day, predictions duel on screen. Bulls clash with bears. One is always right—eventually. The other disappears until the next segment.
There is no ledger of lost calls, no memory longer than a trading week. The show moves forward; portfolios do not.
Skin Off the Game
Perhaps the most revealing silence is about participation. Viewers know what the experts think, but never what they hold. Conviction is declared, exposure is not.
It is easy to sound brave when your capital is theoretical.
Why the Music Persists
Because caution doesn’t rate. Doubt doesn’t trend. And “we don’t know” doesn’t survive prime time.
The audience wants direction. The screen provides melody. Following feels easier than thinking.
A Quiet Warning
The original Pied Piper never forced anyone to follow him. The music was enough.
So it is today.
Not through lies, but through rhythm.
Not through malice, but through repetition.
Markets, however, do not care for songs.
Disclaimer
This column is a general critique of televised market commentary and investor behavior. It does not refer to any individual, channel, or program, nor does it allege wrongdoing. It reflects opinion on media formats, not personal conduct.
