AJ Bell Money & Markets

Investment Trust Show #9: The China recovery, Scottish Mortgage underperformance, and the lowdown on VCTs

This month’s bonus podcast from the AJ Bell Money & Markets team on investment trusts explores the underperformance at the UK’s biggest investment Trust, Scottish Mortgage, and looks at why investors are becoming less enthused with ESG.

Danni Hewson catches up with Dale Nicholls, manager of the Fidelity China Special Situations Trust to talk about Chinese stimulus measures and the potential impact of the US election on the Chinese economy.

Meanwhile Dan Coatsworth talks to Ian “Franco” Francis, manager of the CQS New City High Yield Fund to find out what falling interest rates mean for bond investors.

And we also unpack the pros and cons of investing in Venture Capital Trusts.

Budget reaction: what the announcement means for pensions, savings, investments and personal finances

The AJ Bell Money & Markets podcast team react to Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ Budget, explaining how the new rules affect consumers and businesses.

There was a lot of speculation about big changes to the tax system so Danni Hewson, Charlene Young and Dan Coatsworth cover off the main points, explaining which rates are changing and which ones are staying the same. This includes big news around capital gains tax and inheritance tax.

There is some good news on ISAs and pensions, and Dan explains why there was a positive market reaction to the Budget. The FTSE 250 and AIM indices jumped on the announcement, so listen to the podcast to find out why.

The team also analyse the new economic forecasts for the UK and the challenges ahead for not just the government, but also businesses across the country.

The good, bad and ugly of earnings season plus what to consider ahead of the US elections

On this episode of the AJ Bell money and markets podcast Danni Hewson is joined by Shares Magazine editor Tom Sieber to pick through the most interesting points of this earnings season so far.  From the re-jig of the menu at Starbucks from the new man in charge as sales keep falling to a Netflix subscription slowdown, Tesla’s return to better form and in the UK Hollywood Bowl’s mega strike.  Mike Asheley set’s his sites on running Boohoo and Boeing’s back on the back foot after employees rejected another improved pay deal.

Less than a week out from the UK’s budget the pair discuss the state of the UK’s public finances and calls from the hospitality sector for Rachel Reeves to act on business rates or risk a high street meltdown. And less than two weeks from the US election Dan Coatsworth has been chatting with Ron Temple chief market strategist at Lazar Asset Management about what might happen to certain assets and sectors depending on which candidate gets to the White House. Plus, Gold hits fresh record highs and the value of lost pension pots in the UK has now reached a staggering £31 billion.

Why UK inflation is in good news territory and the future for weight-loss drug companies

On this week’s AJ Bell Money & Markets podcast, Danni Hewson and Charlene Young assess the market reaction to a large fall in UK inflation which has raised expectations that the Bank of England might cut rates twice before the end of the year.
 
They’re joined by Tom Selby, AJ Bell’s director of public policy, to discuss ongoing Budget speculation which has unsettled many pension savers and prompted AJ Bell to call on the Treasury to commit to a pension tax lock.
 
They also discuss the impact of Budget speculation on markets with housebuilders like Barratt up and gambling companies like Entain down.
 
Dan Coatsworth talks to Ailsa Craig and Marek Poszepczynski from the International Biotechnology Trust about what we might see next for the weight-loss drug boom. Dan also chat to Nick Purves from Temple Bar Investment Trust about finding opportunities when parts of the market look cheap.
 
You can also hear why automakers Stellantis and BMW have warned policy makers they need to think again about the pace of the transition to electric vehicles if they’re going to protect manufacturing jobs and why Boeing is looking to raise funds to help it keep its head above water.

Google’s break-up threat and why US markets have performed badly for UK investors

On this week’s episode of the AJ Bell Money & Markets podcast Danni Hewson and Laith Khalaf discuss if Google could really be broken up. It’s something the US government has asked a court to consider over concerns over its dominance of the search space.

They also discuss why our waning appetite for snacks has taken a bite out of PepsiCo’s sales and why a cost shock sent UK housebuilder Vistry’s shares tumbling.

We hear from Ryan Hughes, managing director of AJ Bell Investments, about why the US has been the worst performing market for UK investors over the last quarter plus how the race to the White House is being priced in by markets.

As the UK’s Budget draws closer, we discuss some of the speculation about what might hop out of the Chancellor’s hat when it comes to pensions, plus why there’s been a boom in annuity sales.

Rachel Vahey is on the show to answer listeners’ questions on pensions. This week she talks about the limits on paying in excess income once you’ve started to draw your pension.

Investment Trust Show #8: Investing in private equity, finding income and exploring Baillie Gifford’s Monks trust

This month’s bonus podcast from the AJ Bell Money & Markets team on investment trusts explores two different ways to add a flavour of private equity to ISAs and pensions.

We talk to Oakley Capital Investments’ Steven Tredget about tapping into private equity funds, while Gresham House’s Ken Wotton, fund manager of Strategic Equity Capital, explains how to apply private equity investment techniques to public markets.

Dan Coatsworth talks to Emma Bird, head of investment trust research at Winterflood, about how trusts can provide a smoother stream of dividends than open-ended funds.

Dan also talks with Tom Sieber about the latest results from JPMorgan Global Growth & Income, while Steve Frazer and Ian Conway explore Baillie Gifford’s Monks Investment Trust and what it is trying to achieve.

The fight against scams, investing in Wetherspoons, and money still flooding into Cash ISAs

This week’s episode of the AJ Bell Money & Markets podcast discusses scams and how banks and big tech companies are working together to protect consumers and stop people losing money.

Dan Coatsworth chats about the divergent fortunes for Nike and JD Sports as they issue their latest financial results.

Laith Khalaf explains the big changes to energy bills and what people can do if they are struggling financially.

Shares magazine’s Ian Conway and Martin Gamble take a seat at the bar to talk about UK pubs giant Wetherspoons. We also hear about the latest twists and turns involving UK takeovers including Mulberry and MusicMagpie.

Danni Hewson chats to Sam Vecht from the BlackRock Latin American Investment Trust about ongoing volatility in that part of the world and why it is somewhat cushioned from current geopolitical tensions.

Finally, we’ve got some eye-opening figures on the amount of money being poured into Cash ISAs.

China leads share rally, tax traps for high earning parents and £1.4 billion in unclaimed child trust funds

On this week’s episode of the AJ Bell Money & Markets podcast: Dan Coatsworth looks at the market reaction to China’s stimulus package to boost growth and a six-times earnings mortgage announcement from Nationwide. 

Charlene Young talks us through a cliff-edge in the tax system that could lose high earning parents up to £20,000 in childcare support and how pension contributions can help you claim money back. Also, how to check if you've got over £2,000 in a child trust fund you didn’t even know about. 
 
With gold prices continuing to break records, Danni Hewson talks to Stuart O’Reilly from the Royal Mint about what investors should consider when it comes to investing in precious metals. 

In our second interview, Dan chats to Slater Investments co-founder Mark Slater about why he likes Tesco and his ideas for driving up demand for UK stocks and shares. 

Plus, we wish Shares Magazine a very happy 25th birthday! 

Why US interest rate cuts matter around the world, big warning for cash savers, and the outlook for Rolls-Royce and Primark

On this week’s episode of the AJ Bell Money & Markets podcast: interest rates have dominated the news agenda so Danni Hewson unpacks what the big rate cuts in the US mean for investors around the world.

Changes to rates now or potentially in the near future mean interest rates are also changing on cash savings. The podcast team take a look at the latest trends and why the financial regulator has issued a warning to the public about cash. The team also chat about the tax implications of so many people having taken advantage of higher returns on cash in recent years.

Dan Coatsworth talks to fund manager Mark Costar from JO Hambro about the outlook for Rolls-Royce and Primark’s owner, Associated British Foods.

There’s a lot going on in the property sector with new data on house prices, takeovers galore among housebuilders and a big share price rally from one of the UK’s best known DIY companies. Dan and Danni have all the details.

If you’re one of many people who prefer to pay insurance premiums on a monthly basis, you might be alarmed by some new figures which the team discuss on the podcast.

And finally, it is now less than 100 days until Christmas and would you believe it, people are already talking about festive spending.

State pension changes, potential capital gains tax shake-up and how Apple’s shares move before and after iPhone launches

This week’s AJ Bell Money & Markets podcast debates big news for people in retirement. Charlene Young reveals by how much the state pension will rise and who is eligible for the full uplift.

Dan Coatsworth chats about Apple’s new version of its iPhone and how its share price has moved on average before and after previous upgrades to its flagship product.

You can hear about the latest economic and markets news, including takeover activity involving Rightmove and Centamin, and why shares in the British arm of TGI Friday’s fell by 90% in a day.

Don’t miss the second part of our interview with Finsbury Growth & Income fund manager Nick Train. He gives his thoughts on the general market, the trust’s performance and a fascinating insight into Unilever.

We’ve also got an interview with Stuart Widdowson from Odyssean Investment Trust about investing in smaller companies.