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What Do Financial Statistics Really Mean?

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[img]1430|left|Victor Green||no_popup[/img]When I dwell on the amount of news and information from the stock exchange, government forecasters and predictions from analysts, I start to wonder what they all really mean.

Do they mean if there is an upward trend in exports, the GNP is getting better and inflation will decrease 0.1 percent?

Will the bulk of the nation’s population benefit?

I don’t think so.

To me, it is just, “Lies, damned lies and statistics.” Perhaps Libor should be renamed as it sounds, Lie Bore.

Can anyone tell me what difference it makes to the general population if the Dow Jones increases 100 points? Nothing.

Those having it tough in business still will have it tough, even if the Dow Jones increases 1000 points. What’s the big deal?

The Dow Jones Industrial Average is a frequently quoted index of 30 of the nation’s top public companies. Yet, the stock market encompasses more than 12,000 securities from 76 countries listed, so why choose just 30 for the Dow Jones?

We are told that the Dow Jones is a barometer of the economy. If it is up, things are good and improving. If that is true, where and how can we see the improvements? We want to know in real terms how the population at-large benefits.

I can understand that a Dow Jones increase is good for stock brokers and major investors.

But, hey. They are in the minority. The Dow Jones index does nothing to help small business grow. I ask again, what is the big deal?

It seems so difficult for the government to come to grips with the real situation: How to grow the overall business economy, not just the major corporations who were bailed out by the government when they got into financial difficulties.

It is virtually impossible for a small business owner to get financial support from a bank – unless he has assets far in excess of what he wants to borrow.

Come to grips with the real situation. Cut out the bologna about statistics. Stop treating citizens like mushrooms, keeping them in the dark and then throwing them to the wayside.

Mr. Green was born in London to a middle class family. He had two brothers, one older and one younger. His parents were not in business, average parents trying to do their best for their family. From a young age, Mr. Green had an old head on young shoulders; he often said he must have been 40 when he was born. For an unknown reason, he had a thirst and loads of energy to learn, not at school, but about business matters and about how he could make money. He always wanted to know how business worked, how to do everything himself. This, in later years, became of great value. He was able to assess things quickly and with his firsthand knowledge knew what needed to be done in business situations. Because of this, he could spot opportunities quickly and move faster than many others. Mr. Green had business smarts and the ability to make quick decisions. His energy and inquisitive nature made him look at many business opportunities, some of which he tried before he eventually became his own boss. Ideas such as: opening a deli, importing cuff links from the USA, silk ties from Italy, importing Sangria from Spain. His first fulltime business venture was starting a publishing company. From this he went on to start numerous other businesses, such as organizing conventions, printing, advertising, direct mail, public relations, photography, import and export, manufacturing, soccer clubs, website design, creating portal websites, real estate, finance company, business consulting. The recent author of “How to Succeed in Business by Really Trying,” Mr. Green may be contacted at http://www.howtosucceedinbusiness.com/