AJ Bell Money & Markets

Automakers face targets and tariffs, FCA calls for crypto rules, and tax rebate scams rise

This week’s episode of the AJ Bell Money and Markets podcast looks at the challenges being faced by global automakers. (01:31) In the UK the speed of the transition to net zero and fines for not meeting targets has been cited as one reason behind Stellantis’ decision to close its factory in Luton. The government has said it will consult on the phase out as Ford’s UK boss calls for incentives for motorists. (06:42) Danni Hewson explains how Donald Trump’s threat to introduce tariffs on day one of his presidency is likely to hit the auto sector particularly hard including US firms like General Motors which has a huge manufacturing hub in Mexico.

There’s been a flurry of takeover action on London markets (10:15) with Direct Line turning down Aviva’s approach which would create the UK’s largest car insurer, but pub and restaurant group Lounger’s is backing a £338 million bid from Fortress saying its growth hasn’t been reflected by its market valuation.

(23:16 )With Christmas fast approaching Laura Suter looks into warnings that many Black Friday deals aren’t all they’re cracked up to be and assesses a warning from HMRC that scammers are using the lure of tax rebates to catch people out.

With the number of UK adults owning crypto currencies on the rise the FCA has said it will finally look to regulate the sector.  A third of investors wrongly believe they could complain to the regulator if something went wrong. (28:23)

Plus, Imogen Harris from the Premier Miton Global Smaller Companies Fund on why a $22 billion company is considered to be a small cap in the UK (14:16) and Nick Clay from Redwheel Global Equity Income Fund on whether companies now care more about share buybacks than dividends (39:31)

Why everyone’s talking about Nvidia again, UK versus US retail challenges, and AJ Bell boss on improving the landscape for pensions and ISAs

This week’s episode of the AJ Bell Money & Markets podcast compares challenges in the UK and US retail sectors, examines Nvidia’s latest results and talks about why so few of us are using cash day-to-day. We’ve also got interviews with AJ Bell’s CEO and an Asia-focused fund manager who hates China.

Danni Hewson explains the latest UK inflation figures and what they mean for savers, investors and borrowers. [01:02]

Nvidia caused quite a stir with its latest financial results and Dan Coatsworth is on the podcast to explain exactly what’s going on. [06:47]

There’s been a lot of grumbling from the heads of UK high street companies following the Budget last month and this week the government was presented with a letter from some of the country’s biggest retailers. Find out what some of the biggest names in industry had to say. [10:45]

The podcast also looks at what some of the major names in US retail are saying about the state of the consumer Stateside, including Walmart, Target and TJX. [16:11]

Even though the Budget is now in the rear-view mirror, many investors are still getting to grips with what it means for them. One person who is acutely aware of the challenges it has created is Michael Summersgill, chief executive of AJ Bell. Don’t miss what he has to say on this week's podcast. [22:37]

Do you still pay for things with coins or notes, or are you completely dependent on cards? New research would suggest not many of us carry change in our pocket. Danni and Dan talk notes, coins and card-readers galore. [29:44]

Finally, Asia can be a fruitful place to find dividends and Jason Pidcock from Jupiter Asian Income Fund has been investing in the Asia Pacific region since the early 1990s. Dan met up with Jason to talk about the hunt for income, his thoughts on China, and why a Trump victory puts the spotlight on one of the most important companies in the global semiconductor supply chain. [36:02]

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.