I'll go one better; I never watch CNBC, but then I rarely watch any network tv either. I get my news from various online sources and if a subject is interesting or important enough I can find what may be an accurate report of events by comparing those sources and filtering through any bias (depending on the subject matter)

Your factor x sounds like what is sometimes referred to as a black swan event, even though we now know that these events can take place, by their very definition they cannot be predicted no matter how convincing the self-proclaimed soothsayer may appear.

As mass electronic communication becomes even more widespread and readily accessible, the amount of data input into the global economy picture also increases and therefore increases the probability and frequency of black swan events, imo.