AJ Bell Money & Markets

Rate rise worries are back, why shares in UK banks were hit and thoughts on the market from Alliance Trust

On this week’s Money and Markets podcast Dan Coatsworth and Danni Hewson discuss why Wall Street’s having a torrid time amidst speculation that the Fed’s rate hike cycle isn’t as close to the top as investors had hoped, and the FTSE 100 gives up its tenuous grip on the psychological 8,000 marks as slow demand from China pulls down miners like Rio Tinto.

With that in mind, Dan’s been talking to Stuart Gray from Alliance Trust about what might happen if inflation falls but interest rates stay high.

There have been chunky profits from most of the UK’s big high street banks including NatWest but Lloyds sees profit growth stalling as a cold wind blows through the housing market, with Rightmove figures showing the smallest jump in February prices since the financial crash.

Plus, the activist investor selling millions of Unilever shares, the short seller attack on Etsy, and Darktrace commissions a review of its finances after allegations of accounting fraud.

Inflation double whammy, Barclays disappoints, Premium Bond boost and investor stories

Laura Suter and Tom Sieber bring you the podcast this week. We’ve got not one, but two inflation updates for you, and we’ll look at how markets reacted to the news. We look at a dodgy start to UK banks reporting season from Barclays and shedding light on why Lyft stock crashed this week.

We’ve also got the latest update from everyone’s favourite savings company, NS&I, with a boost to the prize fund for Premium Bonds, and our fund manager interview this week is with Tom Caddick, Head of investments at NedGroup investments, about where he sees opportunities in the current market.

Finally, we’ve also got the first in our series of interviews with investors, talking about why they invest and how it makes them feel. Matt spoke about his journey into investing, with a few key life moments spurring him on, from having a daughter, to getting a windfall of money.

FTSE highs, BP profits soar, taxman’s pension raid and how popular songs can boost your investment pot

This week we have warnings about the taxman coming for your children’s savings, as well as some more uplifting news about UK markets. Danni Hewson has all the details on the FTSE reaching a new record high, as well as an update on public enemy number one: the oil firms making big profits, and the latest round of tech sector job layoffs.

Laura Suter has all the details of a report that proposed big changes to how pensions are taxed, and she’ll be diving into the showdown between bank chiefs and Government ministers this week, for not paying you enough interest on your savings. On top of that, she will be talking through how your children’s savings could land you with an unexpected tax bill.

And we’ve also got Dan Coatsworth on the show with an interview with Round Hill Music boss Josh Gruss talking all about music royalties.

IMF worries and Terry Smith’s musings

On this episode of the Money and Markets podcast one of the most popular investors active today, Terry Smith, is here to talk about Fundsmith Equity Fund and he’s got some choice words to say about two of his holdings.

Dan Coatsworth and Danni Hewson mull over the IMF’s gloomy forecast for the UK economy and canter through some of the companies reporting earnings including McDonalds, Exxon and Intel. Laith Khalaf updates us on UK government plans to regulate the "crypto-verse" and with the success of auto-enrolment resulting in many people having multiple pension pots, AJ Bell’s Head of Policy Development Rachel Vahey discusses the possibility that the DWP will bring back the pot follows member model.

Soaring Government debt, Netflix update, and how to find an index

On this episode of Money and Markets we have Shares deputy editor Tom Sieber with all the markets news, from Netflix to Primark, as well as an update on the US. And he’ll also be responding to a listener question about indices, for those passive investors among you.

Laura Suter is delving into the latest Government debt figures, looking for whether they give an indicator as to whether we’re headed for a recession or not, and she’s also explaining the new scheme where you can save money by using less energy.

Dan Coatsworth brings us an interview with fund manager Ron Temple, talking about UK interest rates and corporate earnings.

Inflation cools, over 50s head back to work and the FTSE flirts with a new record high

On this week’s money and markets podcast Danni Hewson and AJ Bell’s head of retirement policy Tom Selby mull over the latest UK inflation numbers and discuss jobs data which shows more over 50s are heading back into the work place flagging a big issue about pensions.

The FTSE 100 continues to flirt with the record books – nudging close to but not quite hitting a new high as UK retailers like Tesco, Currys and WH Smith deliver on the upside.

But it’s not all been good news with profits at big US investment banks Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley among those taking a big hit with deals down and millions being set aside as recession beckons.

Dan Coatsworth has been chatting to Mark Slater from the Slater Growth Fund about the rebound in UK stocks and how 2022 was one of his hardest ever years as a growth investor.

And with the reopening of China partly behind the New Year rally, Danni’s been chatting to Ewan Markson Brown, manager of the Crux China Fund, about where he sees the opportunities for investors.

Christmas trading, Amazon job cuts and why Terry Smith is still disgruntled with Unilever

One this week’s Money and Markets podcast Dan Coatsworth and Danni Hewson dig into Christmas Trading numbers with updates from Sainsbury, JD Sports, Barratt Homes and Direct Line on menu they discuss what those results can tell you about the outlook for 2023. British firms worry about rising energy costs as the government announces that support is changing.

Amazon looks to cut costs by closing three UK warehouses plus the latest on reports Goldman Sachs is about to axe thousands of jobs. Plus Terry Smith’s latest missive which shows he’s still got a bone to pick with Unilever and we hear from Richard Shepard-Cross from Custodian Property Income REIT about where he sees value in the market.

How personal finance studies could work alongside Rishi Sunak’s maths push, retail sector analysis and Fundsmith’s bad year

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak wants all pupils in the UK to study maths up to the age of 18. Laura Suter explores how making personal finance studies more prominent on the curriculum as part of this maths push would yield significant benefits to individuals later in life.

Dan Coatsworth explains why Apple and Tesla shares have dragged down the US market so far in 2023 and he also debates what might be in store from the plethora of trading updates due from the retail sector.

Discover why Fundsmith Equity Fund had its first year of negative returns since launch and why manager Terry Smith is not abiding by the fund’s ‘do nothing’ principle.

Tom Selby discusses the rules around recycling money back into a pension, while Laura explains why anyone looking for top-paying cash savings deals should act quickly before rates fall.

Dan also talks to Ed Smith, co-chief investment officer at Rathbone Investment Management, about solving the problem of slowing productivity.

Fund manager picks and the year in review

On this year’s last episode of the money and markets podcast Dan Coatsworth, Danni Hewson, Laura Suter and Laith Khalaf share their thoughts about the year’s pivotal moments from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to “Trussonomics” and why mega caps like Amazon and Apple have lost you money this year. 

They also discuss the latest inflation figures on both sides of the Atlantic, assess how markets have reacted plus how a winter of strike action in the UK is affecting companies like Moonpig and discuss the latest trading updates from Frasers Group, Zara owner Inditex and the world’s biggest holiday company TUI.

With 2023 hurtling towards us we hear from a host of fund managers about their picks for the new year, plus Laith digs into AJ Bell’s latest manager vs machine data and finds that the year’s volatility has actually put the machine in front.  And Laura talks interest rate rises and the scammers out to get you this Christmas.

Your rights for train delays and cancellations, state pension review and CEO secrets

If your train journey has been disrupted by strikes, don’t miss this week’s podcast where Laura Suter will be talking about what rights you have regarding refunds and compensation.

Dan Coatsworth looks at the best and worst performing stock markets around the world in 2022. He also discusses what some of the pub companies have been saying about trading amid the World Cup.

Tom Selby considers what might happen to the state pension and when people will be able to get it in the future.

And the BBC’s Dougal Shaw talks to Danni Hewson about what makes a good company boss.