AJ Bell Money & Markets

Levelling Up, a supermarket treat and what’s changed 5 years after the Brexit vote.

This week’s podcast looks at why markets are still jittery about inflation, Dan Coatsworth digs into a series of announcements from central banks and the latest economic data to assess exactly where things stand and how investors are responding.  We examine why British supermarkets have been a big temptation for private equity following a bid for Morrisons which saw its shares jump.  Will it become the big prize in a bidding war and are our supermarkets undervalued like many UK equities seem to be.

5 years on from the Brexit vote we catch up with AJ Bell’s head of active portfolios Ryan Hughes who gives us the low down on what’s changed, what hasn’t and what’s going on with businesses sentiment and foreign investment.   Danni Hewson chats with Henri Murison, director of the northern powerhouse partnership.  Brexit played a big part in Boris Johnson’s “red wall” victories but what’s going up with the levelling up agenda and how will having the new UK infrastructure bank based in Leeds change things.

Plus Tom Selby digs into all that pension speculation.  Is the triple lock in jeopardy, will the Treasury make changes to pension tax relief or the lifetime allowance or is it all just so much hot air? And Jenny Owen’s looking at numismatics as the Royal Mint celebrates the Tokyo Olympics with a new 50 pence piece.

Why inflation matters, UK football’s troubling finances and investing in overseas markets

Inflation is all the rage, so this week’s podcast looks at the factors driving up the cost of living.

Dan Coatsworth explore why wages could soon be going up and Danni Hewson looks at the companies in the firing line over big bonuses.

The podcast discusses the state of UK football’s finances and digests the latest news from Boohoo and Ashtead.

If you’re interested in investing in overseas markets then do not miss this week’s guest interview with Nicole Vettise from Franklin Templeton as she talks opportunities in Asia, ways to play the electric vehicle boom and why Alibaba’s multi-billion-dollar fine might not be a reason to panic.

Jenny Owen also looks at why cow poo is playing a major role in the rise of cryptocurrencies.

Global tax changes, investor activism and why financial stocks are back in vogue

This week’s podcast looks at how markets have reacted to big plans from the G7 to change global taxation and another crypto bounce as Bitcoin becomes legal tender in Venezuela.  Danni Hewson also digs through Andy Haldane’s assessment that the UK housing market is “on fire” and Dan Coatsworth mulls over the current spate of investor activism.

We get the low down from George Barrow, co-manager of the Polar Global Financials Trust on why financial stocks have been making a bit of a comeback and what investors should be looking out for.

Plus, with UK holidaymakers seemingly stuck at home for another summer what will it mean for Leisure stocks and how are airlines coping since Portugal came off the green list?

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.