Well, respectfully, I disagree. They aren't looking for random picks. Sure, if you don't know a company, they expect you to pick sort-of-randomly - but the reality is that they are looking for some sense - from the public - about how a company is viewed. For instance, if you have Starbucks (I get them everyday), well, do you like them - then you might pick UP. If you are feeling a bit unfavorable towards them, you might pick down.
They know that a general sense of a company says something about their 'prognosis' (not sure about this business language
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If they really wanted random, they'd just pick a randomization program and not use people at all
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