Well, the other confounding factor is that the economy only cares about this quarter. Or, even more precisely, it only cares about the change in stock prices, n

Well, the other confounding factor is that the economy only cares about this quarter. Or, even more precisely, it only cares about the change in stock prices, not their absolute value. Every day, the stock price needs to continue to trend upwards, or it has no value, even if the company is itself immensely profitable or otherwise useful.