Market Intelligence
How to Read a Market Report Before You Invest
Market size, CAGR and segment share are useful only when you know where they come from. A quick guide to reading industry numbers with care.
Industry reports are full of large numbers. Used well, they help you choose markets and plan capacity; used carelessly, they lead to overconfident decisions.
Questions to ask of any number
- Who published it, and when? Government data, industry bodies and listed-company filings are usually more reliable than unnamed estimates.
- What exactly is measured? Units sold, value at retail and value at manufacturer prices can differ widely.
- Is it a forecast? A CAGR projected for future years is an estimate, not a result.
- Does the base year look normal? Growth measured from an unusually weak year will look inflated.
Turn it into a decision
Narrow the numbers down to your city, segment and price band, then compare them with what you see on the ground: enquiries, dealer feedback and competitor activity. Local evidence should always carry more weight than a national headline.
Our Global Insights dashboards show sector data from 2019 onward, with the public source named under every chart.
