Like most power tools, statistics can be dangerous if left in the hands of the ill-trained or inebriated. Unlike rotary saws and industrial angle grinders, when you abuse statistics you don’t damage the tool but you do damage the result. Fraud statistics This is a general observation, but I was reminded of it recently when…
A frequent comment about why “property prices will keep going up” is that: They aren’t making land any more Building costs keep going up Our population is growing If these points are true, then this would provide a strong force to push property prices up. It still wouldn’t mean property prices couldn’t decline. Citizens still…
Moneyweb’s article on Barlow’s re-striking of BEE options echos my earlier post on the trouble of underwater incentive options. The sense of the article is that this sets a bad precedent. Of course, the precedent has been set years ago – I’ve personally calculated the additional costs under IFRS2 for BEE deals in danger of…
I was reading the comments on a recent blogpost on the freakonomics blog. Someone suggested (tongue firmly in cheek, I hope) that if libraries were invented today, copyright enforcement bodies (the DMCA was labelled directly) would hunt down anyone who tried to set one up. The comparison of the lending of books to the piracy…
CNN article on Zim’s currency billion for one consolidation
Marketing is naively thought to be mostly art and very little science. While it is true that there is are elements of inspiration and creativity and passion involved, the balance of an effective strategic marketing role is heavily in favour of science. As a further point to consider, I put forward the proposition that much…
Was enjoying coffee and scones at a Woolies cafe recently. Well, actually I wasn’t enjoying the scones because they had run out. They’ve been making a habit of running out of scones recently. Strange. But the amusing part of this story came from reading the coffee “Things you didn’t know” table thing. Point number 1:…
Measurement is a tricky thing. So many ways to get it wrong. So many of this incorrect or misleading measures are applied to property returns. The 30 second view from a backward looking bird The South African residential housing market has been entertaining to watch over several years now. At first, a sensible readjustment as…
