AJ Bell Money & Markets

Budget business backlash, interest rate cut fallout and ETFs inflows and Bitcoin both breaking records

On this week’s episode, Charlene Young and Laith Khalaf talk you through the impact on business of rising National Insurance and minimum wage bills. Plus, labour market data for the period to September showed us the gloomy reality for businesses before the Budget as stalling investment and hiring plans fuelled rising redundancies and unemployment.

The Bank of England voted 8-1 to cut interest rates last week but forecasts published alongside the announcement give us an insight into just how inflationary the bank thinks Rachel Reeves’ Budget will prove, and the likelihood of her achieving her pledge of ‘growth, growth, growth’.

Bitcoin gets a double mention – not only has it been breaking records but a UK pension scheme has announced it will be allocated 3% of its assets to diversify its investment base, in a break with tradition in the pension space. [11:42]

Dan Coatsworth interviews Jack Caffrey from the JP Morgan American Investment Trust for his take on the US election and why the market reacted like it did to that Donald Trump victory. [25:21]

It’s also looking like a record year for flows into Exchange Traded Funds. What are ETFs are what has made them so popular? [39:14]

We also discuss why first-time buyers might find the frozen Lifetime ISA property limit locks them out of their dream family home [44:00], and outflows from Fundsmith Equity [50:01].

Trump, Tariffs, Budgets and Biscoff – what the big events mean for savers and investors

On this week’s episode of the AJ Bell Money & Markets podcast, Danni Hewson and Charlene Young assess the market reaction to Donald Trump winning the US presidential election and heading back to the White House.

There have been some clear winners and losers as investors pile into so-called “Trump Trades” with bitcoin, banks and Tesla among the biggest gainers.

The potential for a tariff fuelled trade war has sent stocks like Diageo down whilst the renewable sector is also under pressure with one of Trumps slogans – “drill baby drill” sparking speculation the US oil and gas sector will boom.

It may feel like a long time, but the UK Budget was only a week ago and Danni and Charlene discuss changes to inheritance tax which will be exacerbated by frozen thresholds and whether people who pulled out tax-free cash from their pensions amidst pre-Budget speculation about changes, can put it back if they’ve changed their mind.

Plus, Danni’s been chatting to Simon Gergel from The Merchants Trust about how some of the UK’s biggest listed companies might be impacted by the Budget.

Finally, Tom Sieber and Ian Conway from Shares magazine discuss Lotus Bakeries, the brains behind Biscoff and a great stock performer in recent years.

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!