AJ Bell Money & Markets

Spring Statement special: What Rachel Reeves’ economic plans mean for your money

This week’s AJ Bell Money & Markets podcast takes a closer look at the key items from Chancellor Rachel Reeves in her Spring Statement.

There were big changes to economic and inflation forecasts by the Office for Budget Responsibility. However, the Chancellor insisted her longer-term plans were still intact – namely, to bring public finances under control and drive growth in the economy.

Laura Suter, Charlene Young and Dan Coatsworth analyse the major announcements in the Spring Statement and how they will impact your money. They also chat about key areas that were missing from the Spring Statement and whether they might be coming later on – or not at all, given what the Chancellor has just announced.

The team talk savings, investments, pensions, ISAs, mortgages and how markets reacted to the news.

Deep Dive #2: Artificial Intelligence

In the second instalment of our Deep Dive series, AJ Bell Money & Markets explores Artificial Intelligence, one of the biggest technological advancements of our era which threatens to change the world we live in, and which has already created a huge amount of value in financial markets. 

(01:16) Steve Frazer, technology writer for Shares magazine introduces us to the basics of AI and explains what the recent arrival of the Chatbot DeepSeek means for other AI players. 

(12:45) Next up we speak to Stephen Yiu, fund manager of the Blue Whale Growth fund, who has made a lot of money from his investment in Nvidia, the poster child for AI, and from technology stocks more broadly. But now he’s selling down his stake in Microsoft, we find out why. 

(34:51) Of course, some people think the stock market is in a bubble. Rob Arnott of Research Affiliates, is in that camp. Commonly referred to as the Godfather of Smart Beta, Rob gives his view on market developments and tells us why he thinks US stocks are overvalued 

(51:40) Finally we catch up with Chris Ford, fund manager of the Sanlam Global Artificial Intelligence fund, who tells us why 60% of his fund is invested outside the tech sector. 

US recession fears mean a Trump slump, UK supermarkets gear up for price wars and gold reaches record highs

In this week's episode we bring you up to date on the latest US and UK interest rate decisions.(00:14)

Danni Hewson and Charlene Young discuss why the gold price has reached another record high, why possible price wars are taking a bite out of the value of UK-listed supermarkets, and the latest updates from tech firm Trustpilot and defence group Qinetic.(03:19)

AJ Bell investment director Russ Mould joins the team to debate the choppy US markets and give his views the Trump slump and the not-so Magnificent Seven.(17:21)

Tom Sieber from Shares Magazine talks about stock splits – what they are, and why they matter to investors.(30:03)

Charlene also rifles through the latest ONS inflation basket – VR headsets and yoga mats are in but gammon joints and cafeteria lunches are out.(35:14)

Surviving the market turmoil, how to get the most from an ISA, Alliance Witan’s debut results

If you’re trying to understand the turmoil on the markets, don’t miss this week’s episode of the AJ Bell Money & Markets podcast. Dan Coatsworth explains what’s going on, what might happen next, and how to keep your cool. [01:13]

This podcast is our ISA special: we’ve gone all out on explaining the pros and cons of Individual Savings Accounts.

Laura Suter and Charlene Young join Dan in weighing up the range of ISAs currently available and whether they are still fit for purpose. They talk Stocks & Shares ISAs, Cash ISAs, Junior ISAs, Innovative Finance ISAs and Lifetime ISAs. [04:24]

Tom Selby reclaims his crown as the podcast taskmaster and brings back the legendary ISA quiz. [14:27]

Want to know where other investors have been putting their ISA money this year? Dan reveals the top selections and talks through some interesting trends. [24:06]

Everyone would love to be an ISA millionaire, but how hard is it to hit the goal? Laura does the maths. [28:15]

We’ve had loads of listener questions come in, so the team tackle three burning ISA issues: which is better: an ISA or a pension? [31:31]; what is a Bed & ISA and should I bother with it? [34:50]; and how does the taxman know if I’m over the £20,000 ISA allowance? [36:52]

Finally, our special guest this week is Craig Baker from the team behind the £4.7 billion Alliance Witan investment trust. Its first results since the merger have just come out and Dan talks to Craig about performance and what Alliance Witan is trying to achieve longer term. [39:27]

Markets rattled by trade war fears, a deep dive into BAE and what next for Greggs

On this episode of the AJ Bell money and markets podcast Dan Coatsworth and Danni Hewson assess the impact on markets after Donald Trump brought in 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada. Is a global trade war inevitable and have investors been caught on the hop because of the President’s unpredictability or is it a storm set to fizzle out. [02:10]  As the global order shifts European countries are expected to spend more on defence which helped lift the FTSE 100 to a record high earlier in the week, the team from Shares magazine deliver a deep dive into company making gains, BAE Systems. [13:30]

Pastry purveyor Greggs was flavour of the month with investors, but growth has slowed significantly, can the company’s focus on healthy options and evening grub help it get its mojo back? [22:20) Changes to listing rules are in the offing with the FTSE Russell accepting companies with a Euro or Dollar share price from September so what might that mean for London markets. [28:30] AJ Bell’s Head of Public Policy Rachel Vahey joins us to talk about the fast-approaching deadline if you need to top up your qualifying National Insurance contributions [32:36] and the sub 4% mortgage is back with 5 major lenders cutting mortgage deals. [39:20]

Investment Trust Show #12: how to pick a trust, why European markets are racing ahead, best and worst performers, Greencoat UK Wind deep dive

Dan Coatsworth explores some of the best and worst performing trusts so far this year and what this tells us about investor appetite towards certain parts of the market. [01:15]

We’ve been very thin on the ground for new investment trusts joining the stock market for a long time but things are looking up. Laith Khalaf discusses the launch of Achilles Investment Company (AIC). [05:40]

Dan looks at the latest events involving Bill Ackman and his Pershing Square Holdings (PSH) investment vehicle [09:47], while Laith has some interesting stats comparing funds to trusts. [12:53]

JPMorgan Global Growth & Income (JGGI) has fast become one of investors’ favourites but did you know it has a sister investment trust that follows the same strategy but just looks at Europe? Dan talks to Tim Lewis, portfolio manager on JPMorgan European Growth & Income (JEGI), about opportunities and risks in the year ahead. [18:53]

Martin Gamble and Tom Sieber from Shares magazine conduct a deep dive into Greencoat UK Wind (UKW). [35:20]

Finally, we’re joining by Paul Angell, AJ Bell’s head of investment research, to discuss ways to research and select investment trusts. [46:39]

Apple’s big investment plans, BPs net zero reset, energy bills to rise, and top dividend investment trusts to watch

This week on the AJ Bell Money and Markets podcast, Danni Hewson and Laura Suter dive into the latest market news, including Apple’s big investment plans [01:19] and BP’s plans to roll back it’s green investment after pressure from an activist investor [09:13]. We also look at why Tesla shares are under pressure [04:39] and discuss Unilever’s CEO stepping down after less than two years [14:30].

On the personal finance front, Laura explains the impact of the latest rise in Ofgem’s energy price cap and shares tips on how to cut household bills [17:56]. She also uncovers cash savings traps that could see you paying more tax than necessary. [24:19]

For investors, Tom Sieber explores the best-performing dividend hero investment trusts, funds that deliver strong income without sacrificing returns [29:01]. And Dan Coatsworth speaks with Abbie Glennie from abrdn about why the UK stock market is showing signs of life [34:16].

UK bank results, a surprise jump in inflation and are Elon Musk's politics starting to hurt his business interests

In this week’s episode, Charlene Young and Laith Khalaf mull over the latest numbers from the UK banking sector after Barclays, NatWest and HSBC have posted their full year results. [1:30]

There’s also been a slew of UK economic data over the last week, so we’ll be taking a look at the jobs figures and a big jump in inflation back up to 3%. We’ll also be asking whether we should be celebrating 0.1% growth in the economy. [6:23]

Cash has also been making headlines, as NS&I changes its rates, and a record amount is reported sitting in bank accounts paying no interest. Meanwhile rumours are flying that the government might consider cutting back the cash ISA allowance. [15:42]

The activist investor Saba is back with a new plan for its foray into the investment trust sector. Laith brings us up to speed with what’s going on. [25:20]

Saba’s strategy isn’t unique; in fact, it’s the same one adopted by Migo Opportunities trust, yet the way Saba has gone about calling for change is different to Migo’s approach. Dan Coatsworth caught up with Migo’s co-manager Charlotte Cuthbertson to explore the differences. [28:55]

Finally we’ll be asking if Elon Musk’s political affiliations might be starting to hurt his business interests, as protestors gather outside Tesla showrooms in the US. [40:10]

Deep Dive #1: How to protect your money from the rising tax tide

Welcome to the first episode of the AJ Bell Money & Markets Deep Dive podcast. This is a new series which will take a long look at some of the key issues in markets and personal finances. First up we’ll be diving into a subject which will affect almost everyone – taxes. Personal taxes are on the rise and we’ll be looking at some of the main ways you can save tax on your savings and investments.

The tax burden is on course to reach a historic high of 38.2% of GDP by 2029. Laith Khalaf speaks to Carl Emmerson, Deputy Director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies about how we got here, and whether more tax rises are on the way. [11:05]

ISAs have been a hugely successful savings and investment account since their launch in 1999. Laith Khalaf and Charlene Young discuss the merits of ISAs and whether people in the UK are holding too much cash. [30:08]

Tom Selby, Director of Public Policy at AJ Bell joins the pod to discuss another important tax shelter: pensions. We ask him whether a pension is better than an ISA, and if the government might look to take away some of the generous tax relief currently attached to pensions. [40:02]

There are other ways to save tax too. Laith and Charlene discuss family finances, VCTs and the 60% tax trap. [59:08]

UK interest rate cut impact, what’s behind the FTSE 100 rally and Elon Musk’s bid for OpenAI

In this week’s episode, Charlene Young and Danni Hewson look at what’s happened since the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee cut the base rate to 4.5% last Thursday. Expectations for a cut were high so has the reaction from markets and mortgage lenders been unsurprising too? [01:30] 

Danni gives the low down on the latest results from McDonald’s and BP. Does activist investor Eliott taking a stake in BP mean there is a reset on the horizon for the struggling energy giant? [11:57] 

Elon Musk is back in the news again. Donald Trump’s right-hand man and head of DOGE has led a bid for OpenAI, the company he co-founded with current CEO Sam Altmann before their big fall out over the future of the ‘mission’. [17:46] 

Charlene gives us a preview of an exciting new AJ Bell Money & Markets project. 

Tom Sieber from Shares Magazine joins us to talk about defensive stocks. He explains what a defensive stock is, examines the traditional defensive sectors and reveals which metrics identify ‘defensiveness’. [23:17] 

Dan Coatsworth interviews Guy Gittens, CEO of estate agent Foxtons to get his thoughts on where the property market could go next, the issues facing people who rent, and whether flaws in the Lifetime ISA are causing issues for prospective buyers in London. [28:46]