I love Barron’s “Big Money” poll. Most people read Barron’s looking for investment ideas. So twice a year, Barron’s gives readers what they think they want. The magazine conducts a poll of money managers, asking them about their favorite investments. I look forward to the Big Money poll… but for different reasons than you might think.

Last week, General Electric — one of the finest companies in the world and an American icon — announced a major fall in earnings. Amazingly, the bad news surprised Wall Street. GE shares fell 13 percent in a single day. Some surprise!