melbourne: 5 and 6 november, page-64

Malaga

The point is, statistics are supposed to be objective. They aren't supposed to be fudged to support an objective - once they are fudged they become meaningless.

The accuracy of the data is important because what the data says about the market affects sentiment. If people are told that, in fact, the clearance rates are dropping by the week, are now below 50%, median prices are falling, etc, then it affects their perception of the market and their willingness to enter it.