Trump Invective Posted December 3, 2018 Share Posted December 3, 2018 Why does everyone use percentage figures for indexes rather than actual ££££? A rise or fall of 1% in December 2018 is very different from the same in 1994, even different from November 2018. Regardless what the indexes, media, VIs do, I propose we always talk in terms of cold hard cash. If this means seeing through seasonal adjustments then even better and so be it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freki Posted December 3, 2018 Share Posted December 3, 2018 Because you need both, it's like your own vision, you need both eyes to understand perspective Just the same way Apple says he pays X Millions in tax when it is 0.00X% of sold goods and services, to claim they are a major contributor to the coffers. The journalists are terrible at understanding numbers and will only give the one they have been fed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pebbles Posted December 3, 2018 Share Posted December 3, 2018 Because it is a bit ridiculous not to use percentage a small Northern terraced house and a large country surrey mansion are completely different in cost. Only a percentage can represent change in both. There is also no such thing as an average house each house is different so why express it in terms of something you cannot buy. ( I assume you mean reporting "the average house rose by 1200 in the last month") Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trump Invective Posted December 3, 2018 Author Share Posted December 3, 2018 Just now, Freki said: Because you need both, it's like your own vision, you need both eyes to understand perspective Just the same way Apple says he pays X Millions in tax when it is 0.00X% of sold goods and services, to claim they are a major contributor to the coffers. The journalists are terrible at understanding numbers and will only give the one they have been fed. Yes I see % adds perspective. OK, I propose both % and £ are used, even when seasonally adjusted % contradicts £ - that will also serve to highlight the discrepancy between seasonal adjustment and reality Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pebbles Posted December 3, 2018 Share Posted December 3, 2018 Oh and can we apply this to countrywide share price too?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trump Invective Posted December 3, 2018 Author Share Posted December 3, 2018 Just now, Pebbles said: Because it is a bit ridiculous not to use percentage a small Northern terraced house and a large country surrey mansion are completely different in cost. Only a percentage can represent change in both. There is also no such thing as an average house each house is different so why express it in terms of something you cannot buy. ( I assume you mean reporting "the average house rose by 1200 in the last month") Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trump Invective Posted December 3, 2018 Author Share Posted December 3, 2018 2 minutes ago, Pebbles said: Because it is a bit ridiculous not to use percentage a small Northern terraced house and a large country surrey mansion are completely different in cost. Only a percentage can represent change in both. There is also no such thing as an average house each house is different so why express it in terms of something you cannot buy. ( I assume you mean reporting "the average house rose by 1200 in the last month") Yes I see that, good point, it would only apply sensibly to the average. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trump Invective Posted December 3, 2018 Author Share Posted December 3, 2018 2 minutes ago, Pebbles said: Oh and can we apply this to countrywide share price too?! Absolutely should Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pebbles Posted December 3, 2018 Share Posted December 3, 2018 But without context a 9 p fall in countrywide share price makes countrywide worthless as a company but 5 years ago would have been less than 2% fall (barely worth noting) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bushblairandbrown Posted December 3, 2018 Share Posted December 3, 2018 Because the scales involved are completely meaningless. 1 billion is big, 10 billion is big. They are both big. But one is 10x the other and 10 is something I can relate to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riedquat Posted December 4, 2018 Share Posted December 4, 2018 21 hours ago, Trump Invective said: Why does everyone use percentage figures for indexes rather than actual ££££? A rise or fall of 1% in December 2018 is very different from the same in 1994, even different from November 2018. £1 was different in 1994 and 2018 too. Using absolute values is sometimes akin to trying to measure something with a ruler that constantly changes size over time. The absolute numbers start to become meaningless but at least you can still use it to say that x is twice as long as y at any given time (if they're measured at the same time). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayward Posted December 4, 2018 Share Posted December 4, 2018 Tabloids do use absolute figures sometimes for effect...e.g. Express headlines asking If your house has earned more than you and other such pro HPI garbage . Absolute figures can hammer home the cruelty of the shift of wealth that comes with rampant HPI...£10,000 s transferred from younger poorer buyers to older wealthier sellers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trump Invective Posted December 5, 2018 Author Share Posted December 5, 2018 On 04/12/2018 at 11:05, Riedquat said: £1 was different in 1994 and 2018 too. Using absolute values is sometimes akin to trying to measure something with a ruler that constantly changes size over time. The absolute numbers start to become meaningless but at least you can still use it to say that x is twice as long as y at any given time (if they're measured at the same time). I guess yes, Im realising that both percentage and £ are useful. I know immediately what 1 or 2 hundred quid means to me. I don't instinctively know what 1% means to me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trump Invective Posted December 5, 2018 Author Share Posted December 5, 2018 16 hours ago, Wayward said: Tabloids do use absolute figures sometimes for effect...e.g. Express headlines asking If your house has earned more than you and other such pro HPI garbage . Absolute figures can hammer home the cruelty of the shift of wealth that comes with rampant HPI...£10,000 s transferred from younger poorer buyers to older wealthier sellers. Yes, I think the absolute figures are useful to permeate the layer created by %1.4 or whatever Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.