Crucial to business success, numerical methods are often viewed as too complex to understand, much less use. They are, in fact, far less complicated, able to be broken down into stepby-step instructions and processed by basic computing devices. This invaluable resource from the publishers of The Economist, the leading international business journal, simplifies and demystifies the numbers game, illustrating just how straightforward—and relatively easy—it really is. Taking you clearly and concisely through numerous fundamental functions, both elementary and advanced, The Economist Numbers Guide arms you with the tools necessary to not only approach numbers with more confidence, but solve financial problems more easily, analyze information more accurately, and make decisions more effectively. Covering finance and investment, forecasting techniques, hypothesis testing, linear programming, and a host of other important topics, it shows you how to handle everything from figuring interest and quantifying risk to projecting inflation and evaluating investment opportunities. In addition to the basic mechanics of numerical techniques, the Guide takes a look at their practical applications, including their role in stock control, simulation, and project management. To help you sidestep potentially costly mistakes, it also highlights common errors to avoid, such as rounding incorrectly and bypassing time series selection. Along with sample calculations, concise definitions, and clear explanations, as well as more than 100 charts, graphs, and tables, The Economist Numbers Guide features an A-to-Z dictionary that encompasses key terms—from autocorrelation to zero sum game—and provides useful reference material on such essentials as conversion factors and formulae for calculating areas and volumes. In-depth and easy-to-use, this is an indispensable reference for business and numbers success.