AJ Bell Money & Markets

We’re back from our summer break! And there is lots of markets news to cover – Danni Hewson has got an update on what happened over the summer and also the latest on Wilko’s collapse, M&S heading back into the FTSE 100 and the surprising company that has become Europe’s most valuable. We’ve also got news out from Barratt Homes that’s hot off the press and gives an insight into the housing market – and Laura Suter will be giving an update on the mortgage market. We’ll be discussing the date for the Autumn Statement – and giving a lowdown on what that means and why it matters. Finally, our interview is with James Wootton, partner at Linklaters, about the planned changes to listing rules in the UK and what it means for investors.

This week Danni Hewson and Laura Suter will be diving into all the detail on the news that NatWest’s boss Alison Rose has quit amid the Nigel Farage furore. They’ll also be looking at the big tech companies announcing results, including Microsoft and Alphabet, as well as the first of the big UK banks to report – Lloyds. We’ll be covering the financial impact of those wildfires in Greece, both on holidaymakers and on investors. Laura has got some interesting figures showing that parents are raiding their kids’ piggy banks as budgets get depleted amid rising prices, and Danni is chatting to Chris Tennant from Fidelity Emerging Markets about where he sees opportunities for growth in Latin America.

On this week’s AJ Bell Money and Markets podcast Dan Coatsworth and Danni Hewson dig through the latest UK inflation data which has delivered a shot of optimism to investors. They mull over how the Bank of England might react to cooling prices, look at which stocks on the market have been benefiting from the change in sentiment and ask if the optimism is really warranted. Higher interest rates have delivered something of a bonanza for many big US banks with Wells Fargo and Bank of America amongst those racking up big profits. Dan delves into the figures. With actors joining writers on the picket lines in Hollywood for the first time in sixty years the pair assess which stocks could be impacted, with Paramount, Disney and Warner Bros Discovery already experiencing share price declines. AJ Bell’s head of retirement policy Tom Selby is back to talk about government plans for small pension pots. Plus, Dan talks to Joe Bauernfreund from AVI Global Trust about what he makes of this year’s market movements and where he sees opportunities now.

Tom Selby considers Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s strategy to boost the average pension pot by £1,000 a year and why the plan has flaws. Laura Suter talks about some remarkable figures on the amount of money in savings accounts that pay no interest and how there has been yet another error made on state pension payments. Dan Coatsworth chats with Dominic Scriven from investment trust Vietnam Enterprise Investments Limited about investing in Vietnam. Dan also explains the importance of the latest Bank of England stress test on UK banks. The podcast also features two 15-year-olds talking about how teenagers manage money and how schools can improve personal finance education.

This week Laura Suter is shedding light on all the government moves aimed at easing the cost of living pressure on our finances, from petrol prices to supermarket bills and savings rates. Danni Hewson brings you the latest markets news, including Tesla’s record delivery, US-China tensions and JD Sports emerging in new markets. Our interview this week is with Nick Greenwood from Migo Opportunities Trust about takeover potential in the renewable energy and infrastructure space, and we’ll also be looking at the latest figures on how much tax we’re all being charged on our savings, as the Government’s tax take rockets.

In the second in a series of bonus podcasts from the Shares magazine team to accompany AJ Bell’s Money & Markets podcast, Tom Sieber, Steve Frazer and Ian Conway take a close look at two stocks enjoying vastly contrasting fortunes of late. The pod discuss the efforts of recently appointed Tufan Erginbilgic to turn around aircraft engine maker Rolls-Royce and whether he can back up some big talk with action, after a strong run for the shares at the start of 2023 petered out. Items up for discussion include the impact of the pandemic and subsequent recovery in air travel and how important cash flow will be to judging Erginbilgic’s success or failure. Ian talks through some research he has done on online groceries firm Ocado’s volatility, something much in evidence amid recent speculation over a bid from Amazon. Doubt is cast on these links as the company’s troubles are dissected.

Dan Coatsworth chats about retailer Frasers which seems to be playing a long running game of high street Monopoly. He also explains why car insurance premiums are going up. Danni Hewson discusses why tensions in Russia haven’t really moved markets and she explores Boohoo’s spat with Revolution Beauty. Dan chats to fund manager Ben Ritchie about Dunedin Income Trust’s 150th anniversary and how the investment trust has evolved over the years. Also on this week’s show: shares in cruise companies are in the spotlight after a bookings bonanza while Walgreens looks to offload hundreds of Boots stores. Inflation is still enemy number one for many companies and despite an excellent performance from some household names, markets are looking distinctly lopsided with a chunk of FTSE 350 stocks disappointing investors since the start of the year. Danni explains how supermarket bosses held their own during a grilling from MPs over rising prices. She also looks at the problems with Thames Water and whether regulation in the sector will be tightened.

This week’s podcast explores the market reaction to UK interest rates going up once again. Laura Suter talks to David Hollingworth from mortgage broker L&C about whether someone should fix their mortgage or stay on a variable rate. Dan Coatsworth explores the companies which are starting to feel the pain from higher interest rates including housebuilder Berkeley, builders’ merchant Travis Perkins and car seller Motorpoint. Tom Sieber considers the takeover rumours surrounding Ocado and why some companies in the retail and leisure sectors have shrugged off the negative backdrop to report decent trading. Finally, Dan talks to Rod Wong from investment trust RTW Venture about investing in the biotech space.

This week Danni Hewson and Laura Suter have got a lot of big Government data that both the Bank of England and homeowners aren’t exactly thrilled by – and we’ll be looking stateside too, to see how the inflation battle is faring there. We’ll be covering the impact that UK data has had on the mortgage market – and it’s not pretty. It’s not just the weather that’s heating up, but also M&A activity in UK companies; from a deal for the biggest mobile phone provider in the UK to Mike Ashley’s latest purchase. In our fund manager interview this week, Dan Coatsworth talks to Argonaut Capital’s Barry Norris about where investors make mistakes with portfolio diversification. And Laura has a handy trick that lets you funnel £36,000 into tax-free savings for your child in less than a year.

This week’s podcast chats about the market reaction to Apple’s foray into headsets, why British American Tobacco is not firing on all cylinders, and the well-known name buying a stake in gambling group 888. Dan Coatsworth talks about how you can get more than 5% interest on cash and how that compares with UK stocks. He also speaks with Nigel Newton, CEO of Bloomsbury Publishing, about how the pandemic book boom has not faded away. Danni Hewson explores the big crackdown on crypto exchanges by US regulators and the cyber breach that’s impacting businesses from British Airways to the BBC. She also talks with Dan about good and bad news from the construction and housebuilding sectors.