AJ Bell Money & Markets

Oil and gold prices surge, the nagging questions behind the housing boom and pensions corner returns

This week’s podcast, featuring AJ Bell’s Tom Selby and Jenny Owen and Tom Sieber from Shares, looks at the recent rally in gold and oil prices, what’s happening in the housing market and whether there should be more choice in workplace pension schemes.

Amid talk of a commodities supercycle Dan Coatsworth interviews Mark Smith from Amati Strategic Metals about the mining sector and the outlook for different metals.

There’s a return for pensions corner and we talk about whether investors should care if the chairman and CEO of a company is the same person after recent speculation over whether JD Sports executive chairman Peter Cowgill might step down.

The big reopening: how travel operators, pubs and car sellers are coping

This week’s podcast talks to the heads of three companies in the travel, pub and retail sectors.

We chat with Julia Lo Bue-Said from Advantage Travel Partnership on how the travel industry is faring under the new traffic light system.

Patrick Dardis from Young’s gives his view on a potential blockbuster summer for UK pubs.

And Daksh Gupta from Marshall Motors explains how used car prices are going through the roof.

We also talk about Marks & Spencer’s latest results and the big wave of takeovers.

Crypto volatility, small cap surges and why ESG investing isn’t a trade-off between value and returns

This week’s podcast looks at the volatility of crypto currencies, why oil prices are impacting markets and multi-billion-dollar streaming deals.  Dan Coatsworth assesses how UK airlines are coping as some holidaymakers jet off for the first time and the confusion about what exactly an amber light really means.

As more and more companies are screening investments based on sustainable criteria Danni Hewson chats to Kate Rogers Head of Sustainability at Cazenove Capital and Katherine Davidson Fund Manager of the Global Sustainable Growth Fund – both part of the Schroders group about why they believe investors aren’t having to make a trade-off between values and returns.

And Dan Coatsworth catches up with Gervais Williams from Miton Microcap Trust who explains why shares in UK small cap companies have surged this year and discusses three of his favourite stocks.

Why inflation fears matter, reopening winners, retailers’ share prices soar and social care funding disappointment

Dan Coatsworth explains how rising inflation effects everyday life and why it spells trouble for global stock markets. He also talks to Danni Hewson about the big share price rally in retail companies including Greggs, Card Factory and The Works, and the pair also chat about ways that retailers are trying to reinvent themselves such as Pret opening concessions inside supermarkets.

Tineke Frikkee from Waverton gives her view on the structural changes we’re seeing following the pandemic and the companies that might prosper.

The podcast also features Tom Selby talking to Mike Padgham from the Independent Care Group about news in the Queen’s Speech to bring forward social care funding reform.

Rounding off this episode is a look at new shocking figures on scams.

Pushing back minimum retirement age, dealing with fraudsters, companies with pricing power, and making money from trainers

If you’re approaching retirement, this week’s podcast is essential listening. Tom Selby explains a proposal by the financial regulator to make people obtain guidance before accessing their pension.

Tom also explores proposals to push back the minimum retirement age from 55 from 57, and he looks at how the end of the furlough scheme could see more people over 55 consider dipping into their retirement savings earlier than planned.

The founder of the money saving website “Be Clever With Your Cash” Andy Webb joins us to discuss why high street banks are ditching cash incentives designed to get people to switch and how to the pandemic has seen more of us embrace the virtual world when it comes to our money.

Danni Hewson chats about the ongoing shortage in computer chips and Dan Coatsworth considers the factors troubling investors in the past week. He also debates the type of company which should come out on top as inflation accelerates, exploring the concept of pricing power.

And if you wondered why trainers have become so collectable, Jenny Owen looks at how Ebay is getting more involved in this market.

Big companies’ big earnings, the Post Office’s new banking pilot and an Asian investment trust superstar

It’s a massive week for big companies reporting their latest earnings. This week’s podcast drills into the numbers from Tesla, Microsoft, Google, Lloyds and HSBC.

Dan Coatsworth talks to Hugh Young about how Aberdeen Standard Asia Focus has become the second-best performing investment trust since ISAs were launched in 1999.

Tom Selby explains the tax rules on pension withdrawals, while Danni Hewson explores the Post Office’s role in providing much-needed banking services to communities.

Finally, Jenny Owen considers whether Aberdeen Standard’s decision to rebrand to Abrdn is a mistake or a stroke of genius.

Market madness, housing bubbles and why AI investing is not just about Robots

This week’s podcast looks at the highs and lows of the FTSE 100 as it finally scrambled over the 7,000 mark but fell back after just a day.  Danni Hewson considers why 3.9million is a disappointing number for Netflix when it comes to new subscribers and discusses the pitfalls of an overheating heating housing market with Dan Coatsworth

Richard Marwood from Royal London Asset Management shares some tips with Dan about where to find income on the UK stock market.

And Laith Khalaf chats to Chris Ford, who runs the Sanlam Artificial Intelligence fund.  They discuss why investing in AI isn’t all about the rise of the robots or tech companies in fact lots of industries are adopting it to make themselves more efficient. 

Retail reopening, attractions of family-run businesses and return of Mark Barnett

This week’s podcast looks at the challenges facing retailers as shops reopen in England. Danni Hewson talks about the likes of JD Sports and Primark’s owner Associated British Foods, together with a look at how Tesco has fared during the pandemic.

Joe Bauernfreund from AVI Global Trust joins the show to talk about the attractions of family-run businesses from an investment perspective.

Dan Coatsworth discusses the return of former star fund manager Mark Barnett and he chats with Laith Khalaf about the FTSE 250 index of UK companies hitting a new record high.

Laith also dives into the world of closet trackers, namely funds where managers aren’t really adding much value despite being paid an annual fee.

Finally, Jenny Owen talks about a surreal money-related story involving beer and robots.

The FTSE 250’s spring surge, pension pitfalls to watch when taking a tax free chunk and Deliveroo’s less floppy retail debut.

This week’s podcast looks at the record gains in the UK’s second tier index as another phase of lockdown nears it’s end.  It also examines how Deliveroo’s retail investors fared when they finally got the chance to trade their shares.    

Tom Selby explains what you need to look out for if you’re planning to take a tax free sum from your pension pot and Tom Sieber gives his tips on how to spring clean your portfolio. 

Jessica Ayres, a financial adviser with Timothy James & Partners Explains why women in particular need to get to grips with their finances if it looks like divorce is on the cards. 

And Jenny Owen’s back with tips on turning your old toys into significant amounts of cash.

Deliveroo flop, doubling money on Royal Mail shares and helping younger people get into investing

This week’s podcast looks at why Deliveroo’s stock market debut didn’t go to plan. It also examines how stock markets performed around the world in the first quarter of 2021.

Temple Bar Investment Trust fund manager Ian Lance discusses why Royal Mail’s shares have soared since November and why he’s backing BP despite growing investor opposition to oil producers.

Tom Selby answers a listener’s question on pensions, and he talks to Iona Bain about how she is helping younger people to better understand investing.

The podcast also looks at ways to claim money for working from home and Jenny Owen explains why certain pandemic-era memorabilia could be worth a lot of money in the future.