Cambridge Weekly Update – 18th March 2019

Bits & pieces
The febrile state of UK politics and its journalists might get you thinking that the UK markets were expiring as fast as the Brexit deadline. Certainly, there’s been a bit of to-ing and fro-ing in the currency market although the moves were miniscule in comparison to the aftermath of the referendum (or the leaving of the exchange rate mechanism in 1992).

Sterling and UK housing
It’s been another roller-coaster week for £-sterling. Of course, this won’t surprise too many people given British politics over the last few days.

UK Inflation – shopping basket
This week saw the annual review of the “shopping basket” used in compiling the consumer price inflation index in the UK. Consumers are directly affected by inflation of course. And there’s many goods, services, and payments which are hard-wired to rise by an amount linked to inflation (or at least that’s what the suppliers might like us to accept!); rail fares, mobile phone contracts, pensions for example. The Bank of England’s goal of maintaining price stability is framed as 2% per year based on the consumer price index (CPI, more on this later).

30 years of the internet: New firms, profits and where to next
It’s an understatement to say that the internet changed the world. 30 years ago this week (12 March 1989), British computer scientist Sir Tim Berners-Lee freely gave the world Hypertext Transfer Protocols (the “HTTP” bit at the start of any web address) enabling everyday users to navigate the new global communications network commonly known as the world wide web.

Cambridge Weekly 18th March 2019