Jekyll and Hyde
A Jekyll and Hyde situation is, as the name suggests, a situation which from the outlook appears positive but upon closer analysis reveals that it has an underlying negative side.
The term can be applied to three different areas but has in each area more or less the same meaning.
In a financial sense, it refers to the strengths and weaknesses of a company’s financial statements. For example, a financial statement which seems to show strong performance may reveal weaknesses upon closer analysis.
The term is also applied to an asset which suddenly increases or decreases in value. For example, a particularly volatile stock that is known to fluctuate widely in price.
It can also refer to a situation where two officials within a company’s management team both have important but conflicting goals. For example, when one official thinks that the company should be looking to emerge into the international market and the other official thinks that the company should be concentrating its efforts on becoming a leader in the home market.
