Final answer:
Investors might expect an increase in the company's net income for Year 3 based on historical profit trends and the concept of a 'random walk with a trend,' although future unpredictabilities make it impossible to be certain.
Step-by-step explanation:
If the trends continue, investors can expect the company's net income for Year 3 to either increase, decrease, stay the same, or move up and down. However, based on historical trends where corporate profits after tax have mostly continued to increase each year, except for a decrease between 2008 and 2009, one might infer a general trend of increase. Additionally, considering the concept of a "random walk with a trend" in stock prices that suggests that while daily fluctuations are unpredictable, the long-term trend has been upward, it further supports the potential for net income to increase if these trends persist.
Nevertheless, it's important to remember that predicting future stock winners is inherently unreliable due to the unpredictable nature of future news that could alter profit expectations. This leads to the conclusion that, while historical data may hint at an upward trend, absolute certainty in predictions is unattainable. Regarding the U.S. unemployment rate, which this question does not directly address but provides context for economic trends, it has not followed a consistent long-term trend, fluctuating with economic conditions rather than steadily trending in one direction.