Face Value: Business leaders are betting people will spend more

Retailers are facing the threat of competition from US giant Amazon

When Australian companies report results they typically include an outlook statement from the business’ leaders, giving investors some guidance about their expectations for the future. They issue these forward-looking statements with some caution as investors might rely on them, and the law requires that they be based on “reasonable grounds”.

The Conversation’s Face Value uses sentiment analysis to try and determine how Australian business leaders are feeling about the future.

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A contradiction is emerging between how consumers should be feeling and what the heads of companies expect them to do. What we know about