Our readers should have little doubt at this point about our view on the integrity of wall street and equity markets.  In fact, we just spoke yesterday about all the little accounting games that companies play to “beat” earnings estimates in a post entitled “Mind The “GAAP” (Or How The Game Is Really ‘Rigged’).”

Well, CFOs can’t bear the full burden of earnings management, they need complicit “independent” counterparts on wall street as well.  A recent article in the Wall Street Journal points out how public companies use wall street analysts to manage quarterly earnings expectations and ultimately their stock prices.  The article summarizes the quarterly dance played out between wall street analysts and investor relations teams to “manage” earnings down to a level that is ultimately “beatable” and thus produces a nice stock bounce on earnings day.  Analysts, of course, are willing partners in the game because being a “team player” means better access to management teams, better attendance at bank-hosted conferences and the added benefit of very “accurate” forecasting for hedge fund clients that pay handsomely for their efforts.  As the WSJ points out: