Imagine if this column operated like a public company. Would I feel the need to offer editorial guidance, just as companies give guidance on future earnings, in advance of each article? It's not clear to me what I could usefully tell you - except that, encouragingly, the finishing line will be only about 850 words away.

But if I did provide readers with this guidance, I would then face the next horrible challenge: meeting expectations. Would I be punished in the market if