Using Twitter to Move the Markets

[Commentary] How much could a single post on Twitter be worth? How about $1 billion? Or maybe $6 billion? If the post comes from the fingertips of Carl C. Icahn, the hyperactive hedge fund manager, an argument could be made that there’s gold in those 140 characters.

First let’s stipulate that unless you are a day trader, much of the business news right now is boring. That means the ink and attention go to the straw stirrers, the agitators, the outliers who make business news and numbers jump off the page and the screen. There’s a reason that the frantic Jim Cramer endures on CNBC. It’s also why Mr. Icahn, a 77-year-old with a net worth of $20 billion, when sending out a post or three about Apple, can make big news. He can still shake things up and move the market, enabled by the incredible reach of social media like Twitter or the ample exposure from a TV channel like CNBC.