Shocking unemployment statistics (but what do they mean?) Someone threw a shocking figure at me today. They said that the unemployed under age 35 in South Africa comprise 75% of the unemployed population. I believe the figure comes from Adcorp. Like many statistics that are bandied around for shock value, this one is more fluff…
Lightstone have a trick up their sleeves. Their raison d’être is collecting, analysing, understanding and packaging data for themselves and others to use to understand past, current and future property valuations. Their housing price index is more robust (and more independent) than those of the banks based off their own data and target markets. Rather…
In researching my previous post on accurately measuring the risks associated with vehicle crimes based on colour, I stumbled across another colour related risk measure. Red cars, supposedly, attract more than their fair share of traffic fines. Turns out this is incorrect. Snopes.com has (as usual) an excellent article on red cars, including references to…
Apparently, car thieves don’t want your pink car. It’s not because they don’t like the colour (although they probably don’t). It’s also not only that it’s too distinctive and will be easily spotted (see the discussion later about red cars). It’s that nobody else wants it. The resale value is much lower than other vehicles,…
Humans, unlike other creatures, have the incredible ability to consciously think about tomorrow. We can imagine different scenarios playing out, and plan for them accordingly. The same approach also allows us to consider the impact of our actions on others in simple and sometimes complex ways. We’re not just squirrels hoarding nuts because we feel…
Statistics are dually known as useful and misleading. Another relevant saying is that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. photo credit: star5112 CAR magazine used to have a short section covering the number of complaints received from readers separated according to car brand. The problem with that sort of analysis is that it ignores…
CNN has a story on house price declines being at their highest in 30 years. Turns out the headline is misleading in two ways. Firstly it proclaims house prices at a 30-year low, which is fortunately not quite the reality. However, the largest decline in 30 years is still pretty shocking. The second item is…
From FT.com Official data showed the UK economy contracted 1.5 per cent in the last three months of 2008, the biggest quarterly slump in 28 years. The figures confirmed that Britain had entered its first recession since 1991. The figures, a preliminary official estimate of output, showed a contraction in services, manufacturing and construction. But…
