AJ Bell Money & Markets

What the Spring Statement means for your finances, expert tax tips, and London’s fight to attract more companies to its stock market

Danni Hewson and Dan Coatsworth give their reactions to Rishi Sunak’s Spring Statement, including the potential winners and losers from his announcement. Consumers, pensioners and businesses are all affected.

Dan has good news for investors who remained patient throughout the recent global stock market sell-off, while Laura Suter gets some tips from RSM tax director Kate Aitchison on understanding HMRC’s tax rules and where people often get caught out.

And Neil Shah from Edison Research is on the podcast to talk about the challenges facing London as the preferred destination for companies floating on the stock market.

War and covid unsettle markets plus your ISA questions answered

On this week’s Money & Markets podcast, Danni Hewson is joined by Tom Sieber from Shares to discuss another volatile week for markets – facing not just the situation in Ukraine but another Covid lockdown in China. Tom explains the moves made by the Chinese government after shares tumbled in response, and Danni examines what’s going on with the oil price as various governments seek to shore up security of supply.

As fuel prices rise at the pump, many motorists might be thinking about making the switch to an electric vehicle.  The boss of one charging company has suggested the switch will bring about the end of petrol stations as we know them. To find out more about the opportunities this may bring, Danni catches up with Andrew Jones, CEO of London Metric Property PLC, which is taking major steps forward when it comes to installing charging points on their properties, particularly their retail parks.

And as the new tax year rushes towards us, our Head of Personal Finance Laura Suter and AJ Bell YouInvest’s pensions and savings expert Charlene Young get together to answer all of your ISA questions.

How the war in Ukraine could impact UK household finances, companies halting business in Russia, and everything you need to know about the metaverse

This week’s podcast explores how the latest events in Ukraine have moved global stock markets and how the war will have a big impact on the cost of living in the UK.

Dan Coatsworth chats about some of the companies on the UK market which you might not realise have exposure to Russia. And Danni Hewson also talks to Neil Shah from Edison Research about companies severing ties with Russia.

The podcast also explores the metaverse – Dan interviews Zehrid Osmani about this buzzword and how he's playing the theme via the Martin Currie Global Portfolio Trust.

Finally, Laura Suter chats about Post Office accounts and how to beat forthcoming changes to dividend tax.

Markets react to Ukraine invasion

On this week’s Money and Markets podcast, Danni Hewson looks at how markets have reacted to the invasion of Ukraine, as company after company severs ties with Russia and sanctions begin to take effect. Laith Khalaf focuses on the suspension of many Russian-exposed funds and what that means if you’re invested, and he’s also been tracking the surge in value of crypto currency, plus calls for a ban on Russian transactions.

With stock market volatility making some people nervous about their pensions, Tom Selby chats through what those ups and downs might really mean for the average pension holder, and he also answers another pensions’ corner question from a listener who spent a number of years living and working in Ukraine and wonders if that time might count towards their UK state pension.

Plus, Dan Coatsworth has been talking to Chris McVey from Octopus Multi Cap UK Income fund, the best-performing UK equity income fund over the last three years. Chris explains why they’ve got a real bias towards small and mid-cap stocks. And with so much desperately awful news around, we’ve got Jenny Owen to bring us a touch of light relief at the end of the pod with a potted history of Cadbury’s Freddo Frog and its changing price tag.

Investors focus on Ukraine

On Money and Markets this week Dan Coatsworth and Danni Hewson assess what the situation in Ukraine could mean for markets, from soaring oil to falling share prices – as investors figure out which sectors stand to lose from increased sanctions. 

We also assess the latest financial updates from UK banks, and Dan chats to Neil Shelton from GXO – a huge name in global logistics – about all those supply chain issues we’ve heard so much about. 

You’ll learn how can you make money from music if you’re not a talented musician, as Paul Flood from Newton Investment management joins Danni to talk streaming and where investors can find opportunities. 

We also look at why house prices have jumped by the biggest amount in over 20 years despite rising interest rates. And Laura Suter catches up with Stephen Holiday, the boss of financial app Level, who thinks your employer might be able to help you with your saving goals.

Fund manager stock ideas for an inflationary world, environmental tracker funds and big changes to UK stamps

Dan Coatsworth talks to Ken Wotton, manager of the Gresham House UK Multi Cap Income Fund about two companies which he believes could help consumers deal with inflationary pressures – Moneysupermarket.com and B&M. 

Laura Suter looks at the latest UK figures on the cost of living, and she explains why anyone who has been hoarding stamps for future use will need pay a visit to the Post Office to exchange them for new bar-coded ones.

Get the latest update on global markets, with Dan looking at the impact of tensions between Russia and Ukraine on stocks and shares, the latest numbers from Airbnb, and a warning from Heineken about pushing up prices.

Chris Mellor from Invesco explains how investors can access environmental themes using tracker funds, and Laura looks at UK green bonds where rates have become more generous. 

Finally, Dan talks with Simon Collins from Konexo about the rise of Dear CEO letters in the banking and insurance space, and why they are important.

Energy company windfalls, how to solve rising mortgage costs, holiday joy and a strange retail tie-up

On this week’s podcast, Laura Suter and Danni Hewson look at the energy market, where massive profits for big firms contrast uncomfortably with the nation’s steeply increasing gas and electricity bills.

We also discuss the risk of Meta brands Facebook and Instagram disappearing from Europe, and holiday chat makes a long-awaited return as the travel markets heats up again.

Elsewhere, Dan Coatsworth chats to Artemis Positive Future, a new fund that’s been caught up in the recent market sell-off. And Laura speaks to mortgage guru David Hollingworth about what last week’s interest rate rise means for homeowners.

Alphabet’s split, Rio Tinto’s incendiary report and round the world ends in Asia

On this week’s money and markets podcast Danni Hewson is joined by Tom Sieber from shares magazine to discuss what was almost the worst January ever for the tech heavy Nasdaq.   Whilst many tech mega caps have fallen foul of market volatility Alphabet’s managed to escape largely unscathed after a seriously upbeat trading statement and the announcement of a 20:1 stock split that could make the tech giant’s shares affordable for retail investors.

Mining giant Rio Tinto gave a master class in delivering bad news, Danni and Tom discuss how the report into toxic working practices was received by investors and how other miners might use it as a blueprint for delivering change as more focus is placed on ESG. Dan Coatsworth delivers our final round the world master class chatting to the manager of the Crux Asia ex-Japan Fund Ewan Markson Brown about the opportunities in Asia. 

Tom Selby tackles the thorny issue of how to find missing pensions and if you should consolidate them once you’ve tracked them down, plus Laith Khalaf and AJ Bell’s Chief Investment Officer Kevin Doran about the future of Bitcoin and other crypto currencies.

What the great rotation in markets means for Scottish Mortgage and Fundsmith, and a surprising first-time buyer boom

This week’s Money & Markets looks at the big rotation that’s happening in markets, as the tech giants fall out of favour and banking stocks are back in vogue. We talk to AJ Bell’s Ryan Hughes about what this means for big funds like Scottish Mortgage and Fundsmith, and how investors should react. We also hear from Temple Bar’s Ian Lance about the stocks that have been benefitting from this switch.

Dan Coatsworth and Tom Sieber are back with the European edition of their Round the World investing series, talking to Sam Morse from Fidelity about the region’s prospects. Elsewhere Laura Suter looks at some surprising figures on how many first-time buyers have been getting on the property ladder.

And the team have a very exciting announcement and competition for the listeners. So make sure you don’t miss that.

Inflation soars, takeover deals galore and the latest crypto crackdown

Inflation is dominating the headlines, so this week Laura Suter and Danni Hewson look at what the latest figures tell us and how they match up with wage figures. We also delve into the markets – this week saw deals galore, featuring the likes of Microsoft, Unilever and Boots. 

Pensions guru Tom Selby sifts through the latest pension announcements, including plans to make us all get more help deciphering pensions, and the eye-watering tax bills many pensioners are facing.

Also this week, Dan Coatsworth and Tom Sieber are back with our Round the World investing series. This time they stay closer to home and look at the UK – speaking to NinetyOne fund manager Simon Glazier to get his hot tips on the market. And Jenny Owen is back to tell us what the nation’s ideal job looks like, and we also look at the latest crackdown on the cryptocurrency market.