AJ Bell Money & Markets

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.

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.

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.

This week’s episode of the AJ Bell Money & Markets podcast discusses scams and how banks and big tech companies are working together to protect consumers and stop people losing money. Dan Coatsworth chats about the divergent fortunes for Nike and JD Sports as they issue their latest financial results. Laith Khalaf explains the big changes to energy bills and what people can do if they are struggling financially. Shares magazine’s Ian Conway and Martin Gamble take a seat at the bar to talk about UK pubs giant Wetherspoons. We also hear about the latest twists and turns involving UK takeovers including Mulberry and MusicMagpie. Danni Hewson chats to Sam Vecht from the BlackRock Latin American Investment Trust about ongoing volatility in that part of the world and why it is somewhat cushioned from current geopolitical tensions. Finally, we’ve got some eye-opening figures on the amount of money being poured into Cash ISAs.

On this week’s episode of the AJ Bell Money & Markets podcast: Dan Coatsworth looks at the market reaction to China’s stimulus package to boost growth and a six-times earnings mortgage announcement from Nationwide.  Charlene Young talks us through a cliff-edge in the tax system that could lose high earning parents up to £20,000 in childcare support and how pension contributions can help you claim money back. Also, how to check if you've got over £2,000 in a child trust fund you didn’t even know about.    With gold prices continuing to break records, Danni Hewson talks to Stuart O’Reilly from the Royal Mint about what investors should consider when it comes to investing in precious metals.  In our second interview, Dan chats to Slater Investments co-founder Mark Slater about why he likes Tesco and his ideas for driving up demand for UK stocks and shares.  Plus, we wish Shares Magazine a very happy 25th birthday! 

On this week’s episode of the AJ Bell Money & Markets podcast: interest rates have dominated the news agenda so Danni Hewson unpacks what the big rate cuts in the US mean for investors around the world. Changes to rates now or potentially in the near future mean interest rates are also changing on cash savings. The podcast team take a look at the latest trends and why the financial regulator has issued a warning to the public about cash. The team also chat about the tax implications of so many people having taken advantage of higher returns on cash in recent years. Dan Coatsworth talks to fund manager Mark Costar from JO Hambro about the outlook for Rolls-Royce and Primark’s owner, Associated British Foods. There’s a lot going on in the property sector with new data on house prices, takeovers galore among housebuilders and a big share price rally from one of the UK’s best known DIY companies. Dan and Danni have all the details. If you’re one of many people who prefer to pay insurance premiums on a monthly basis, you might be alarmed by some new figures which the team discuss on the podcast. And finally, it is now less than 100 days until Christmas and would you believe it, people are already talking about festive spending.

This week’s AJ Bell Money & Markets podcast debates big news for people in retirement. Charlene Young reveals by how much the state pension will rise and who is eligible for the full uplift. Dan Coatsworth chats about Apple’s new version of its iPhone and how its share price has moved on average before and after previous upgrades to its flagship product. You can hear about the latest economic and markets news, including takeover activity involving Rightmove and Centamin, and why shares in the British arm of TGI Friday’s fell by 90% in a day. Don’t miss the second part of our interview with Finsbury Growth & Income fund manager Nick Train. He gives his thoughts on the general market, the trust’s performance and a fascinating insight into Unilever. We’ve also got an interview with Stuart Widdowson from Odyssean Investment Trust about investing in smaller companies.

The AJ Bell Money & Markets podcast is back with a bumper episode looking at the market wobbles at the beginning of August and September amid fears about the strength of the US economy and a slowing of Nvidia’s AI growth story. Danni Hewson and Laura Suter also discuss the potential path of interest rate cuts as well as discussing some interesting M&A activity including Rupert Murdoch’s REA Group’s plot for UK property platform Rightmove. Hot off the heels of Rightmove’s takeover interest, Dan Coatsworth talks to one of its biggest shareholders, Nick Train from Finsbury Growth & Income Trust about the news and his thoughts on two other big-name FTSE 100 stocks. We’ve got plenty of pension action too, including how much the state pension is set to rise next year and AJ Bell’s Rachel Vahey answers your questions.

Lots of investors are increasingly turning to cheap tracker funds which means the pressure is on investment trusts to not only outperform the market and prove their worth, but also make their charges more competitive. Dan Coatsworth talks to Annabel Brodie-Smith from the Association of Investment Companies about this topic and to find out which trusts have the highest and lowest costs for investors. Paul Niven, manager of retail investor favourite F&C Investment Trust, is on this week’s podcast to discuss the summer’s market sell-off and whether it has prompted big changes in his portfolio. Laith Khalaf talks to James Carthew from QuotedData about the big merger between Alliance Trust and Witan which is expected to complete in the next few months. 3i Group continues to be one of the few investment trusts to trade at a chunky premium to the value of its underlying assets, so we asked Tom Sieber and Steve Frazer from Shares magazine to explain why investors are happy to pay up to own the shares. Tom also chats about BlackRock World Mining’s latest results and why there is some bad news for anyone thinking metal producers are a great source of dividends.

On this episode of the AJ Bell Money & Markets podcast, Danni Hewson and Charlene Young dig into the market meltdown that followed disappointing results from ‘Magnificent Seven’ club members Tesla and Alphabet. They discuss the negative impact of electric vehicle production on Ford and Nissan and why GM is delaying its plans to build a green Buick. Ryanair profits tumble as it cuts back on fare hikes, but EasyJet is ramping up for a record summer. Get the podcast team’s take on the airline sector. Tom Sieber and Ian Conway from Shares magazine discuss moves by consumer goods giant Reckitt to sell off large parts of its business. Dan Coatsworth chats to Sunil Krishnan from Aviva Investors about ‘reflation’ and how it impacts certain investments. We also get an update on AJ Bell funds from James Flintoft, Head of Investment Solutions at AJ Bell. Also in the last episode before the summer break, Danni and Charlene discuss the return of the sub-4% mortgage and why more people have been using cash to budget.