Investors should resist the tyranny of quarterly earnings

Hear hear! Thanks, John Kay (FT 29 Feb page 17) for these wise words. Let's hope wisdom prevails, and better reporting systems which relate to the quality of the corporate and marketing strategy ensue. We've been campaigning for this for what seems a long time.

I quote: "The tyranny of quarterly earning has created a dysfunctional cycle of smoothed and exaggerated numbers and relations between companies and analysts based on earnings guidance, an activity almost unconnected to the real business of the company and to assessing its progress... Never mind the quality, feel the length, has been the guiding principle of corporate disclosure for far too long!!