Daily Brief – Centre for Policies Studies

Centre for Policies Studies

This UK think tank has had a good amount of egg on its corporate visage this week due to leader of Reform Nigel Farage using one of the CPFS’ own statistics when he made a speech saying that GBP234 billion could be saved by excluding migrants from benefits. As emotive and eye catching as the famous quote on the Vote Leave battle bus claiming that £350 million could be saved and spent on the NHS if the UK were to leave the EU. We know where that went and the CFPS had two choices: endorse or disown Farage’s claim. In the event they went for option two, thereby making themselves look foolish when they said that the data was speculative and anyway had changed since their report had been produced. 

GBP/USD 1.3510.

Augmented Reality

Coming to all of us shortly is a well signposted big reveal from Mark Zuckerberg and Meta. Exactly a year ago, MZ was pictured wearing a pair of Meta smart glasses, but now he has gone one step further and claimed that people without smart glasses will be at a disadvantage versus their pals who are wearing them. The space age reality is that Meta is launching AI powered glasses that will tell you details about what you are looking at – think information about and reviews of a restaurant or pub as well as what lies around the next corner e.g. the location of the nearest decent coffee shop. Rayban glasses with which Meta cut that deal a year ago have announced that Meta glasses sales have tripled in the year to July 2025 so it would seem that users are buying the hype and that smart glasses may be the next big thing. From USD749 to answer your unspoken question.

EUR/USD 1.1780.

Nauru

North East of Australia and North West of Tuvalu lies the tiny island of Nauru which was decimated by phosphate mining 100 years ago and is now beset by the threat of rising tides due to global warming. Like other jurisdictions, Nauru is offering Golden Passports for a minimum of USD 105,000 which will be available to citizens of Hong Kong, Singapore, the UAE, and the UK. The funds emanating from the program will be used in the fight to save Nauru from those rising tides. If you are still unsure not only where Nauru is but whether you would like to move there to escape Chancellor Reeves, fear not you will not even have to visit if you just pass the selection test which unless you are criminal or sanctioned you are unlikely fail.

EUR/JPY 174.10.

Mondial du Fromage

If you are in cheese, it doesn’t get much bigger than this competition held in France this time in Tours in the Loire Valley and also known as the Cheesemonger World Cup. This time it’s definitely different with the USA scooping not only the Bronze Medal but also the Gold, easing France into Silver medal position on the podium and making it a case of hard cheese for the nation that historically has not acknowledged that quality cheese could be made by other countries.

EUR/GBP 0.8720.

He Ain’t Heavy

This one from 1969 by the Hollies was all but consigned to pop fans’ back collections in the 1980’s until this day in 1988 when it went to Number 1 on the back of a UK TV beer commercial. Those with good memories might recall a young (very) Elton John on piano in the 1969 original version.

The road is long
With many a winding turn
That leads us to who knows where?
Who knows where?
But I’m strong
Strong enough to carry him
He ain’t heavy, he’s my brother

So on we go
His welfare is my concern
No burden is he to bear
We’ll get there
For I know
He would not encumber me
He ain’t heavy, he’s my brother

If I’m laden at all
If I’m laden with sadness
That everyone’s heart
Isn’t filled with the gladness
Of love for one another

Discussion and Analysis by Humphrey Percy, Chairman and Founder

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