In the short term, the exchanges tell us how popular a share is, based on hype, trades, etc. In the long term, over several years, the stock price vaguely foll

In the short term, the exchanges tell us how popular a share is, based on hype, trades, etc. In the long term, over several years, the stock price vaguely follows the value of a company (depending on the exchange - back in Australia you could discover "sure things" a year before the rest of the market was paying attention)