Data Update 1 for 2026: The Push and Pull of Data!

The author, a number-focused analyst, shares his annual data updates initiated in the 1990s, offering insights derived from publicly available company and market information. He explores the allure and challenges of data, emphasizing its role in decision-making amidst uncertainty, but also cautioning against over-reliance and biases. The author highlights the dangers of data overload and misinformation, advising critical evaluation of data sources and their methodologies. He explains his approach to data collection, focusing on micro-level industry data crucial for corporate finance and valuation, with transparency in his methodologies. His data incorporates adjustments reflecting his long-held views on accounting, such as treating leases as debt. The author reports industry values, rather than individual company data, and converts non-US dollar data into US dollars. He underscores his data's accessibility and provides open-source access to his calculations and resources. The author offers insight into his strategies for computing industry values, which include addressing missing data and company size variations. He reveals his reasons for providing the data, driven by the need for his corporate financial analyses and valuations.