In mathematics, 64 is a superperfect number and one of only four less than 100. It is also the number of squares on a chessboard, total positions in the Kama Sutra, a famous Beatles’ song (prefixed by “When I’m”) and my age last birthday - during Q3, the quarter under review here.

However, it was first monetised by the US radio show ‘Take It or Leave It’ in the 1940s on which seven questions were asked with the prize money (and level of difficulty) doubling each time from $1 to $64. Also, the contestant could bail and take the money (i.e. $8) at any time after a successful answer to Question 4.

In 1955, the programme made its move to television with massively inflated prize money and the re-jigged moniker ‘The $64,000 Question’.

This expensive interrogatory entered Anglo Saxon and, indeed, international vernacular as did the original programme name: “Take It or Leave It” - and the incipient risk manager’s exhortatory “You’ll be sorrr-REEEE”.

64,000 times 640,000 is also the current monetary worth of the UK Housebuilders i.e. on the first trading day of Q4, the market value rose 2.7% to £41 billion. This is 38% more than a year ago with Persimmon at circa three times book value. Similarly, while consensus earnings growth is forecast at 13% this year and next - the score is 2% in 2019.