I was sure I'd make a killing with all the information the site provided. If only I could figure out how to use it. No doubt we've all grown a little wiser since then. But over the last couple of years, a new breed of financial Web site has emerged. Buy on the Rumor Take rumors, for example.
Several sites make rumors their stock in trade.
Enter a ticker symbol and see what so-called whisper number, or rumored earnings figure, is being bandied about for a particular stock. These days, of course, companies face great pressure to come in above Street estimates or risk having their stocks hammered. So whisper numbers have become increasingly important. If so, you could expect that pattern to continue. Several other Web sites traffic in rumors.