Consultant Weighs In on Earnings Season, Billing Hourly

“As we told you earlier, per CNBC, third-quarter earnings season starts this week, with blockbuster profits expected.” — Hank Ledger, on air

On air: Hank Ledger on The Recap
Published 7:22 PM ET, Wednesday, October 7, 2026

At a glance

First reported by CNBC: “Here comes third-quarter earnings season. Booming profits could propel the S&P 500 to new heights”.
Covered on BBN on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, at 7:22 PM ET on The Recap, by Hank Ledger; aired 2 times.
Topics: S&P.

The real story

The reporting behind this segment. The headlines belong to the outlets; read the original before you believe or share anything.

CNBCHere comes third-quarter earnings season. Booming profits could propel the S&P 500 to new heights

What BBN said about it

Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorAs we told you earlier, per CNBC, third-quarter earnings season starts this week, with blockbuster profits expected.
Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorJoining us is a consultant who charges four thousand dollars an hour.
Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorPlease welcome Preston Aldridge-Mott, managing partner at Obvious Insights Group. Preston, what should viewers expect from earnings season?
Preston Aldridge-MottHank, our proprietary framework predicts that companies will report earnings. Some will be good. Some will be less good. That insight is billing now.
Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorThe meter is running already. CNBC says the market expects profits to beat estimates. Is that priced in?
Preston Aldridge-MottGreat question. If expectations are high, a beat is expected. If a beat is expected, a miss is a disappointment.
Preston Aldridge-MottWe call this the Disappointment Matrix.
Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorThat is a sentence. Your firm charged a client eight thousand dollars to tell them rain is wet, I'm told.
Preston Aldridge-MottHank, that was a discount. The wet was a premium deliverable. We also produced a laminated slide of a cloud.
Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorLet me try something concrete. The S and P is slightly lower today. Will earnings fix that?
Preston Aldridge-MottOr not fix it. We don't like to commit. Commitment is a liability, and also my lawyer's whole job. I've never been wrong in writing.
Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorSo you are paid four thousand dollars an hour to never say anything that can be checked.
Preston Aldridge-MottHank, that's the most accurate thing anyone has said on this show. I'm sending you an invoice for the validation.
Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorWe'll have to leave it there, before I owe you money. Preston Aldridge-Mott, thank you. Please don't expense the satellite.