We live and work in a complex world. Complexity comes from the
growth of societies and the systems we have put in place to
manage and be able have common ways of communicating. In
business it's about the numbers. Stock markets, in theory, are
driven by the ability to invest and get a return from the money
in the form of dividends or capital growth. The assumption is
that you aren't going to get either if the business isn't
performing well.  Again in theory people are making a value
judgment of the future potential return. How should they make
those decisions? Well they should look at the financial
viability of the company. How do you do this ? You should look
at their financial statements and other reported company
information.  Most average investors don't analyze the reports,
it's more driven by other news about the company but that is a
completely different topic on consumer behavior so I won’t go
down that path.  Financial statements are what the bank is going
to ask for or private equity investors are go