AJ Bell Money & Markets

There is a big tech theme running through this week’s edition of the AJ Bell Money & Markets podcast. Dan Coatsworth explains how investors have been piling into Arm Holdings as a new way to play the artificial intelligence theme, while Nvidia has leapfrogged Alphabet to become the third largest company on Wall Street by market value. This week’s special guest is George Dent who is part of the investment team managing the BNY Mellon Long-Term Global Equity Fund. He gives a fascinating interview about everything to do with Microsoft and why it remains so popular with investors. We’ve had a wealth of new data on inflation and the economy which have significant implications for the direction of interest rates. Laith Khalaf examines the data and what might happen next for savers, borrowers and investors. Dan considers what The Body Shop’s UK operations going into administration means for shoppers and the retail sector. Laith talks through the reasons behind Bitcoin rising above the $50,000 level and he also reveals the steps investors are taking to avoid losing more of their gains to the taxman from 6 April.

On today’s AJ Bell Money & Markets podcast we’ll be diving into the latest market moves, including how McDonald’s has been hit by the Middle East conflict and how oil price falls have had a knock-on effect on BP, Shell and Total Energies profits. We’ve also got a round-up of the updates we had from some of the Magnificent 7 last week, including Apple, Amazon and Meta. Our interview this week is with seasoned US investor Daniel Peris, who has over two decades of experience as a dividend-focused portfolio manager in the US. He is talking all about how investors in the States have shifted away from a dividend focus – and why that might be about to change. And finally, Laura will be bringing you some news on why you might need more in your retirement pot than you initially thought, as a new report out this week found that the amount we all need to live on in retirement has increased dramatically.

Welcome to the first in a new series of bonus podcasts from the AJ Bell Money & Markets team. If you’re a fan of investment trusts, you’re going to love it. And if you don’t know what they are and just want to hear interesting stuff about markets, companies and investing in general, you’ll also find loads of great stuff. Published at the start of each month, the bonus podcast series will feature a range of topics with investment experts and fund managers, with each episode debating some of the most popular trusts with retail investors, the big topics that matter, and a little bit of educational material to get listeners up to speed. To kick things off, this episode focuses on income, bargains, technology and smaller companies. Laura Suter chats with Paul Angell from AJ Bell about how plenty of investment trusts offer a decent income stream. Paul reveals all the key things you need to consider when researching potential investments in this space and highlights three trusts with interesting characteristics. The ability to buy a portfolio of shares or bonds for less than they are worth is a key attribute of many investment trusts. Dan Coatsworth talks to Emma Bird from Winterflood about these discounts and why they exist. Tom Sieber and Steve Frazer from Shares magazine get under the bonnet of Scottish Mortgage, an £11 billion investment trust which has tested shareholders’ patience in recent years. They explain why it became popular, why the share price has been through a bad patch, and what to expect from the trust going forward. Finally, Dan chats with Stuart Widdowson from Odyssean Investment Trust about the outlook for UK-listed smaller companies and why 2024 could be more fruitful for this part of the market.

This podcast discusses the impact of interest rate decisions on markets and the disappointing results of Alphabet and Microsoft. It also explores Elon Musk's proposal to move Tesla's legal home, speculates on his unconventional behavior, and talks about the trend of companies listing in the US instead of the UK. Other topics include upcoming and cancelled IPOs, the performance of UK mid-cap stocks, and the impact of interest rates on their performance.

Dan Coatsworth and Danni Hewson explain why US shares are doing so well, including a rally in chip-related stocks and how Netflix has managed to enjoy a new growth spurt. Tom Sieber and Steven Frazer from Shares magazine are on the show to talk about why investors have given a big thumbs down to Tesla’s latest results. Dan explores the concept of drip pricing and how hidden fees could soon be a thing of the past. Danni chats about new figures which show a rise in mortgage and loan defaults, and how more retailers are seeing a pick-up in demand for buy now, pay later. The team also debate the prospect of big changes to the frequency of letter deliveries in the UK. Finally, Laura Suter talks to AJ Bell’s investments director Ryan Hughes about market trends and what’s been happening with AJ Bell funds.

On this week’s podcast Danni and Laura cover the all important inflation figure, which showed the headline number had moved in the wrong direction. That surprise shift had a knock-on effect on markets, so we look at the winners and losers there. The ongoing issues in the Red Sea are having an impact on companies, including Shell, but also are a risk to inflation, so we delve into the potential effects on prices. In the markets segment we also cover what the latest jobs figures mean for the health of the economy, and for recruitment firm Page Group, and we look at the impact of the new boss at BP. As interest rates are still expected to be cut this year, it’s no surprise that savings rates are falling. We’ve got some news about the Premium Bond prize fund falling – which might signal the end of great rates for savers. And as more people are dragged into the next income tax bracket, Laura has got some helpful advice on how to navigate that. Our interview this week is Mike Seidenberg, lead portfolio manager of the Allianz Technology Trust, about the technology space and his outlook for the year ahead.

On this episode of the AJ Bell Money & Markets podcast Dan Coatsworth and Danni Hewson dig through a bumper crop of Christmas trading updates from UK retailers including Tesco, Marks & Spencer and Sainsbury’s and they discuss the ongoing expansion of Greggs. After the discovery of loose bolts following a mid-flight blowout which saw a door pop off an Alaskan Airlines plane mid-flight, shares in Boeing and some of its suppliers have understandably been impacted as the FAA grounds the planes for further investigation. Danni considers the implications. Dan examines Terry Smith’s latest shareholder letter for the popular Fundsmith Equity Fund, and he also talks through ways benefit from higher interest rates in your Stocks and Shares ISA without having to switch out to a cash account. Plus, it may have started with a fake tweet, but the SEC has given the go-ahead to Bitcoin ETFs with some huge names like BlackRock and Fidelity about to jump in after what’s being called a watershed moment for cryptocurrency. Our special guest this week is Iain Cunningham from asset manager Ninety One who explains why China might still be of interest to investors wanting Asia exposure, despite slowing economic growth and tighter corporate regulation.

Two months ago, we asked if any listeners had managed to retire early and gain financial independence, in line with the so-called FIRE movement. Plenty of you have hit the goal, judging by the responses we’ve received. Charlene Young shares some of your stories while Dan Coatsworth talks to podcast listener Phill about how he managed to give up work early and live the life he always dreamed of. Dan asks Chris Elliott from Evenlode Global Equity if artificial intelligence is a game-changer for business or overhyped. Chris also talks about Microsoft, Diageo, Nestle and where he is finding opportunities in 2024. The FTSE 100 turned 40 this week so Dan looks at its performance since launch versus the US stock market and ponders the future for the UK blue-chip index. Laura Suter has some good news for anyone looking to buy a house or remortgage, while the team also talk about diverging fortunes with retailers JD Sports and Next.

In our final episode of the year, Danni and Laura look at the impact of that Red Sea turmoil on the oil market and Amazon’s deal with Games Workshop to bring Warhammer to the big screen. We’ll also look at the latest inflation data – and what it might mean for your money in 2024. And the impact that that Bank of England decision last week to hold rates had on the mortgage and housing markets. We’ve also got the first of a new monthly segment from the team at Shares, who will be discussing chip company Nvidia and UK engineering firm Rolls-Royce. And Tom Selby is back with his pensions corner, looking at all those lucky people who have got Christmas bonuses at this time of year, and the big question of whether you should put any of that money into your pension. And we’ve got the latest update in that long, long Woodford saga, and we dive into some research that shows what investors are planning to do next year, what they’re worried about and where they see investment opportunities.

Dan Coatsworth and Danni Hewson discuss the market reaction to the US Fed’s blueprint for interest rate cuts plus a slew of economic data about the state of the UK economy which could be sliding into recession. You can hear about vaccine maker Pfizer which has warned of trouble ahead as it struggles with life after covid, plus there might be two blockbuster IPOs heading London’s way in the form of fashion giant Shein and high street retailer Boots. Dan talks to Will Riley from Guinness Sustainable Energy Fund on the challenge of making money from clean energy stocks. Anthony Cross from Liontrust is also on the show to explain why he’s optimistic about the UK stock market. Finally, don’t miss AJ Bell’s head of investment analysis Laith Khalaf on his latest report into how active fund managers have performed versus passive funds.