I saw a “lower-third” graphic on CNN yesterday afternoon that stuck in my craw:

Dow up 151 points,
Housing prices down 9%.

Now, I’m not going to complain about the fact the two are completely unrelated. And given the economic uncertainty, I wouldn’t even mention a correlation.  But just what are we supposed to glean from that juxtaposition?

The Dow Industrials moved 150 points in a day.  In a quick glance, are we to assume housing prices dropped nearly 10 percent in one day?

Daily movements in the Dow have very little meaning.  In fact, the talking head econ-pundits rarely give anything but speculation about why stocks did this or that.  Sure, a specific company might issue news which causes a sharp move, but daily variations seldom matter.  It’s long-term trends that real investors need.

Same with real estate.  Housing prices are down 9%, but over what period of time.  And how far do you go back for it to show a rise?  It’s an empty statistic, devoid of even the most basic information to provide context.

The only thing I can guarantee in these uncertain times is that television news will do its level best to shrink meaningful time further.  Every moment is a crisis-in-the-making.  Every decision is make-or-break.  And every moment you’re unplugged from the random barrage of contextually-empty data on the news, you’re in danger of losing your mind and your fortune.

(and the sales departments at the cable nets are in danger of losing their remaining advertisers.)

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