Running Head: SELF- INTEREST’S FILTERED JUDGEMENT 1

Self-Interest’s Filtered Judgement

Sergio Lorenzana

University of Texas at El Paso

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Introduction

We have an interesting topic to analyze that has the combination of style of two types of

genres with a video and supporting commentary through an article that informs but is mainly

intended to persuade the audience's viewpoint. Through the rhetorical analysis of Ethos, Pathos

and Logos I will bring out this intent. It is written by two financial news reporters Steven Arons

and Gavin Finch who specialize in topics that deal with the European market based on the many

past articles both have written for Bloomberg by clicking on their profile account links in

Bloomberg.

Background

The persuasive but subtle rhetoric used to influence the thought of the audience in the

article is intended primarily towards those affected by the short bet a financial tactic. But also to

investors looking for an opportunity to make bigger bucks out of the confusion. This comes from

what most people trust as facts the Main Multimedia outlets. For example, in this reporting by

Bloomberg L.P which generally deals with financial news, the article specifically focuses on the

unusual short bet against the European market from the most powerful hedge fund in the world,

Bridgewater ran by Founder/CEO and portfolio manager Ray Dalio a trend setter by in his own

right is currently making a big deal in the Financial World by betting Twenty-Two Billion

dollars of his portfolio against the European Markets biggest companies.

Why? Well because this is not a common move in portfolio management. Reasons taken

into consideration are that in Hedge Funds privately managed money pools for the rich or people

with net assets that amass to a minimum of 1 million dollars. This style of business is very risky

as it gets higher returns than those average in the market but it can be easier to lose money seen
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from the conflict arisen between those skeptics of such outrages bet in the standard investor. The

article we bring today is about Algebris CEO Davide Serra called up by Bloomberg reporter

Francine Lacqua to give his point of view on the bets against the Italian Bank Intensa SanPaolo

SpA with him concluding that Ray Dalio’s Firm will lose money on their investment being a big

deal because this is the biggest bet by far from a hedge fund the closest coming in at two Billion.

Even though many would not be able to see the partisanship of the reporting because it is

sincerely not intended, it is still plainly obvious from the response of the guest Davide Serra who

tries to protect his investment.

Audience

The audiences intended in this article are professional investors, informed bloomberg

watchers like students and professors, and anyone interested in financial news. This is because of

the basic financial understandings of short bets and Day trading techniques to get the most return

out of the market given in the article.

Ethos

Ethos can be strongly seen in the video reporting from the formal names and professional

titles that are only gotten by certification to formalize and give a backdrop to the invited guest.

This shows that the Bloomberg guest Davide Serra knows what he in this case is talking about.

We are also able to see his credentials when Arons and Finch add in their article Serra’s

experience by working all his life in the biggest alternative investment firms and then founding

and managing his own current hedge fund Algebris S.P which is basically the same thing as a

‘credit fund’.
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For those in the audience who are not experienced and adept in financial terminology, is a

way for them to be less aware that Serra has a special interest in defending the Italian Bank. This

is because all the background information about the guest and the reporters sounds fancier and

credible. The credibility of the speaker is established and the credibility of the website is

achieved by maintaining an up to date copyright signature at the bottom of the page to help the

reader realize that this website is not relating to old information and that it has constant

maintenance. Like any other News website, each article comes with the name of the author at the

top which is imbedded with a link to the reporter’s profile in the company, in it one can find

accomplishments and articles written that add credibility to the writer by not just letting anyone

post like Wikipedia. In addition, there is a time and date for when it was published to show the

audience that there are records and scheduled time keeping of the articles published. Without all

this, the credibility of the guest speaker Davide Serra would be debilitated and would not be as

effective to influence investment where ever he wants to allocate new assets.

Logos

Moreover, logos can be seen in the article to influence the readers from the numbers put

out by the co-authors who give big credit to Davide Serra’s Firm numbers such as “London-

based firm oversaw 10 billion euros ($12 billion) as of September,”(Arons, Finch, 2018) these

prove the success of Serra’s firm by adding to his credibility and implanting the subconscious

thought that by following what he says, they will be successful investors. When David Serra is

quoted saying that the numbers are going on a positive trend in the Italian market “lender’s

shares have risen 4 percent since the start of October “(Arons, Finch, 2018).

If we observed the line graph of the stoke price of the Italian bank Serra’s statements that

would be backed up by financial indexes which are not opinions but quantitative facts of what
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the market feels at the time of the snapshot. It can be inferred that the co-authors of the article are

not trying to completely influence the audience to do a leap of fate and jump in the positive

trends of the Italian market. But by adding in their article statements like “Algebris, on the other

hand, has been betting on Italy’s lenders, with 20 percent of its assets under management

invested into bank equity and credit in the nation as of September” (Arons, Finch, 2018) that

show the author’s bias to make Serra’s firm look good by coming out and discouraging Dalio’s

Short. This twenty percent is key to bringing the reader back into the reality of the financial

world which is motivated by competing interests.

However, there is plenty of talk about numbers that if researched would come back

corroborated, I do believe that the article is missing one of the many graphs that Bloomberg

employees have at their disposal to make easier for the reader to understand what a system would

look like with graphed numbers. In general, the website which is the final qualifier of every

article posted does a good job by maintaining a real-time movement of the major stock

exchanges in the world giving net points to the overall credibility of the whole Bloomberg

institution which encompasses the two writers of the Algebris article.

Pathos

One of the most easily presentable rhetoric’s pathos is of course not absent in any

perspective like one of Utep’s most influential Professors Doctor De Pierola (2018) would

lecture “Writers are influenced in their effectivity to apply their writing which comes from what

reality they have created”. In general, the article’s diction and tone are formal and to the point

but even one word can influence the whole idea seen when Serra protects his own comments by

saying “I think” in the beginning of every opinion in the video to show his responsibility to stand
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by his own ideas and not saying for example we the market or we the firm even though he is the

head and founder of all Algebris investments.

All this evokes in the reader’s trust for the asset manager who wants to build a reinforced

relationship to encourage investment in the European market. Pathos does a great deal to be more

influential than its other two counterparts seen from how some investors are not emotionally

disciplined and can be easily manipulated by random events like the conflict of interest seen in

the Algebris CEO statements to encourage more assets into his firm and his home country.

Conclusion

The analysis of Logos Ethos and Pathos in this article we are able to better understand

that the article is well developed and does not miss any of the rhetorical appeals and that

professional reporters like Arons and Jones are also subjects to filtered perspectives even if

subtle when informing the audience. The rhetorical device that stood out the most was logos

because of the graphical information provided as it backed up the reporters with facts. Overall

the article is well developed in order to inform its readers.

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References

Arons S., Finch G. (2018). Dalio Will Lose on European Bank ‘Big Short,’ Algebris CEO Says.

Retrieved from https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-02-19/dalio-will-lose-

on-european-bank-big-short-algebris-ceo-says