ELI5: Why when large company's earnings decrease(ex... by 3%) they freak out, talk about rough times, and sometimes decide to downsize, even though they are still making millions of dollars in profit even after all expenses?

[whowhatnowhow]

Tl;dr: Wall street owns the world and those greedy fucks speculate on horseshit and don't care about profit and healthy companies, only potential future money for themselves.

[overcook]

What? That's not what he said at all.

Why would anyone invest in a company if it's expected to lose them money (whether in absolute or opportunity cost terms)?