Fun and Games with Sensationalized Eurozone Statistics

April 29, 2016
USA Today: Eurozone growth rate unexpectedly doubles

The eurozone's economic growth rate doubled in the first three months of the year compared to the fourth quarter — to 0.6%, the Eurostat statistics agency said Friday.

As impressive as doubling to a whopping 0.6% growth rate must sound, there is a much more impressive statistic here that the article's headline completely ignores.

Eurostat said in a separate report that consumer prices in the year to April fell by 0.2%. That’s down from the previous month’s annual rate of zero.

If 0.3% to 0.6% is worth a double, then what is 0.0% to -0.2% worth?

0.6% / 0.3% = Double
-0.2% / 0.0% = Negative Infinity

To negative infinity and beyond! Woohoo!

I mean, really. If you want to use statistics to make a sensational headline, then I say go all out!