Wade...AAOI...You are assuming that they didn't pre-announce because they will meet their guidance from 3rd Q cc call. However, what if they aren't pre-announcing anymore instead because of the fact they got hit with a bunch of lawsuits when they downgraded their numbers on their pre-announcement pr in early October and it caused the stock dropped? What if management has decided in 2018 that instead of setting themselves up every quarter (good or bad) that they just won't be doing it anymore because it's not worth the risk? If that's the case, then earnings could still go either way and your assumption is incorrect that no pre-announcement is bullish.
AAOI, if they usually give forward guidance in the earnings call, then that would become much more important then whatever they did this quarter...especially if expectations are for a cyclical downslide coming soon.