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Analyst Index

Who called it right?

Tech analysts forecast markets for a living. We track the calls they make in public, check each one against what actually happened and rank them on how often they get it right

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Analysts ranked
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Predictions scored
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Still to fall due
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Average accuracy
#AnalystAccuracyPredictionsVerdictsBest call
–Jay McBain
Jay McBainChief analyst, US, Omdia (was Canalys, Forrester)Not yet ranked
84%
1Walmart has been the largest (revenue) company in the world since…
–Larry Walsh
Larry WalshCEO and chief analyst, Channelnomics (was The 2112 Group)Not yet ranked
81%
2Growth in the IT sector is likely to outpace growth in the general…
–Alex Smith
Alex SmithVP and practice lead, ecosystems, channels and marketplaces, The Futurum Group (was Canalys)Not yet ranked
78%
2–
RightMostly rightHalf rightMostly wrongWrongRanked once 3 predictions have been scored
Latest verdicts
Right · 100%
Walmart has been the largest (revenue) company in the world since 2002, and that will change in 2025.Jay McBain · made Apr 2025 · Amazon reported about $717bn of revenue for calendar 2025; Walmart reported $713.2bn for its fiscal year to 31 Jan 2026.
Full verdict →
Mostly wrong · 25%
The flood of M&A activity will continue over the next 18 months.Alex Smith · made Mar 2022 · Tech M&A fell sharply instead.
Full verdict →
Right · 100%
And we're expecting robust and high growth in IT spending in 2025Larry Walsh · made Mar 2024 · Gartner put 2025 worldwide IT spending growth at 10.3% (February 2026) and 10.7% (July 2026), up from 7.7% in 2024.
Full verdict →
How we scoreShow

1. Find the call

Public predictions from the last five years in VETTDD’s categories: reports, press releases, keynotes, interviews. Each one is quoted and linked.

2. Wait for the deadline

A prediction is only scored once its date has passed. Until then it’s listed as pending.

3. Check what happened

Against independent evidence where it exists: company results, filings, other firms’ data. Where none exists, we score on the analyst’s firm’s own figures and put a caveat on the verdict. Each verdict links its sources.

Right100%Mostly right75%Half right50%Mostly wrong25%Wrong0%

4. Weigh it

Calls looking more than two years ahead count one and a half. Calls made under six months out, or when the outcome was close to certain, count half. Trend calls with nothing to measure count half again, so nobody climbs the table by being vague or stating the obvious.

Growth-rate forecasts are scored on how many percentage points they missed by: within 1 point is Right, 2.5 Mostly right, 5 Half right, 10 Mostly wrong; further out, or growth called when the market fell, is Wrong. Other number forecasts are scored on how far off they were: within 10% of the actual figure is Right, within 25% Mostly right; further out, Half right if it moved the right way, otherwise Wrong. Small samples: until an analyst has many verdicts, their accuracy is pulled towards the table average, as if they had 5 more average calls, so a handful of lucky calls can’t top the table. No independent evidence: the verdict is scored on the analyst’s firm’s own figures and carries a caveat. Analysts can reply to any verdict.