Original Broadcast: Thought for the Week
With the summer holidays drawing to a close in the next few days, the new team at HM Treasury will be busy looking at fresh ideas for the Budget on 28th October. The challenging economic situation calls for a fresh look at some of the underlying strategies which have driven debt so high over the past half-century. The really big problem is the extent to which 'universal, free-at-the-point-use' health care has caused deep generational unfairness; that, combined with the triple lock and unfunded state pensions, place real burdens on young generations. It's time for a major change in the underlying logic. Background music: 'People Watching' by Sir Cubworth
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Original Broadcast: Gadgets and Gizmos
Steve Caplin is intrigued by top designer Jony Ive's portable smart speaker for OpenAI, apparently a metal doughnut with moving parts but not available until next year. Another innovative speaker claims to have "a world inside" with a 3D environment you can view. 29 US states are suing Meta. There's a weird gimbal-mounted robot phone that will ogle bystanders and answer "yes or no" questions. You can get a smartphone that you can fix yourself or a cheap camera with no proper viewfinder. A devil robot has been designed to deal with California wildfires. The Japanese have invented a human washing machine. And visitors to one London hotel can get free entry to see the Bayeux Tapestry.
Guests: Steve Caplin
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Original Broadcast: Gadgets and Gizmos
Steve Caplin discovers that balcony solar panels, while a good idea, don't actually appear to be on sale anywhere. He explains how Meta will change its safety limitations for children worldwide after settling a lawsuit against it for $17bn. Digger drivers will soon be able to train on video simulators. There are air-conditioned jackets for dogs. A 3D-printed banjo may not tempt the likes of world-class players like Bela Fleck. The Tokyo-Osaka bullet train is to offer an overnight stop, while a sightseeing bus in Tokyo now has sushi on offer on a conveyor belt. Take care if a car park suggests you pay by QR code. And an AI doctors' receptionist in Yorkshire unfortunately can't understand a Yorkshire accent.
Guests: Steve Caplin
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Spider-man and The Odyssey are still leading the box office, says James Cameron-Wilson. At #8 is Jason Statham's latest thriller, Mutiny. He plays a bodyguard on the run after his client is murdered. It's formulaic and very violent but the stuntwork is effective and inventive while the director piles on the suspense, turning a B-movie into a B-plus. #10 is an unsympathetic biopic of chef Antony Bourdain which has a great cast. However, with such a disagreeable protagonist, it is not one of James's favourite foodie films. On Amazon Prime is Mother Mary with Anne Hathaway a former pop star in an oppressive movie full of florid dialogue. Think Bergman's Persona crossed with The Dresser, says James. He ends with the top 10 movies of all time in terms of audience numbers, with the #1 of all time remaining the same as it has for decades.
Guests: James Cameron-Wilson
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Original Broadcast: This is Money
NS&I has just boosted the Premium Bonds underlying rate again to its highest level in nearly two years. The odds of winning are better too, with more £50,000 and £100,000 prizes to boot. More than 22 million of us hold Premium Bonds but after years of being beaten by the best savings accounts, are they suddenly looking like a good option again? And why raise the rate at all? Lee Boyce, Georgie Frost and Helen Crane discuss. Imagine you bought a house years ago, pay your mortgage every month ... only to discover the Land Registry still hasn’t registered it in your name. It could mean you can’t remortgage and are subsequently out of pocket. We discuss a case where this happened, why, and a deluge of cases we are hearing about. Inflation is heading the wrong way again - up from 2.6% to 2.9% in July, largely thanks to higher energy costs. What does that mean for base rate? Energy bills are likely to head higher still, with forecasts of another rise price cap rise in October. Is it time to fix? And finally, plug-in solar panels can be legally sold from next week. But before we all rush out to buy them, we explain what you need to know.
Guests: Helen Crane
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Original Broadcast: Motley Fool Show
Most of the time, stock investors don’t pay attention to the bond markets. But when the words “not seen since 2007” start getting thrown around, investors start to look at lot harder at what’s going on with bonds. Lou, Matt, and Tyler dissect the recent moves in bond markets and how it’s showing up in stocks. Plus, Klarna’s and Home Depot’s earnings and how they are feeling the strains of the debt market. Tyler Crowe, Lou Whiteman, and Matt Frankel discuss the sell-off in bonds and how it’s affecting stocks, why AI companies are getting caught up in the bond market moves, Klarna’s earnings, and Home Depot’s earnings. Companies discussed: META, GOOG, MSFT, KLAR, HD. Host — Tyler Crowe; Guests — Matt Frankel, Lou Whiteman.
Guests: Matt Frankel,Lou Whiteman
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Original Broadcast: Motley Fool Show
Berkshire Hathaway is a net buyer of stocks again for the first time in nearly four years, but new CEO Greg Abel still had some surprising stocks to sell during the quarter. Jon, Matt, and Rachel break down Berkshire’s latest moves before answering a listener question regarding how to spot a winning stock early, before finishing the episode by running some Berkshire stocks through some Hidden Gems mental frameworks. Jon Quast, Matt Frankel, and Rachel Warren discuss Berkshire buys stocks again, Greg Abel’s changing approach, Hidden Gems Investing’s favourite AI scoring categories, why housing stocks could be Hidden Gems, and why the AI industry is still a great place to look for Hidden Gems. Companies discussed: Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A)(BRK.B), Alphabet (GOOG)(GOOGL), D.R. Horton (DHI), Kroger (KR), Delta (DAL), Rocket Lab (RKLB), Dream Finders Homes (DFH), Forgent Power Solutions (FPS). Host — Jon Quast; Guests — Matt Frankel, Rachel Warren.
Guests: Matt Frankel,Rachel Warren
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Original Broadcast: Modern Mindset
New research by The Royal Mint suggests that many of us are feeling anxious about our finances, with concerns about global instability and the cost of living leading a third of us to reflect on the money we could have made from precious metals like gold and silver. Despite gold’s value rising by around 128% in the last five years, most people still keep their savings in a bank account rather than precious metals. Joining Rory McGowan to discuss the findings is Stuart O’Reilly from The Royal Mint.
Guests: Stuart O'Reilly
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This episode is about turning a compulsion into a revulsion. Its theme draws an analogy to show how the drug cocaine is parasitic: how it exploits the host to take much more than it gives, thereby taking control. The challenge is, how to dispense with a parasite that has taken hold? Adam Cox helps to show the way ..
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Original Broadcast: The Business Of Film
James Cameron-Wilson thought #3 The End of Oak Street, in which a suburban family find themselves battling dinosaurs, daft as a brush. Despite unconvincing adult performances from Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor, it's good fun and genuinely nerve-shredding. In #12 Sunny Dancer, Bella Ramsey is a reluctant teenage attendee at a holiday camp for cancer survivors. Written and directed by a young George Jaques, it does not shy from the messiness of life, has wonderful dialogue and full-blooded performances from its young cast. It is simply one of the best films of the year. On Netflix, engaging comedian Mo Gilligan challenges himself to eat nothing but fried chicken for 28 days in Big Chicken: A Fast Food Conspiracy. He almost dies while, along the way, he exposes the atrocious treatment not only of the creatures themselves, but also the workers in the associated factories. It's a hard watch and has persuaded James never to eat fried chicken again.
Guests: James Cameron-Wilson
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Months of drought are gradually waking us up to the fact that climate change really is a serious concern: if we're not going to stop it, then we have to take mitigation action seriously. Fresh water is our most critical natural resource: the only alternative to rainfall is desalination. Once again, democracy's great Achilles Heel of short-termism is letting us down. Politicians must accept that the era of treating fresh water as an unlimited resource is over, and new strategies must be developed to tackle the challenges ahead. Background music: 'Trickle of Water' by Underbelly & Ty Mayer.
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Original Broadcast: This is Money
After years of stagnant sales and plummeting prices…is the housing market about to take off again? Lee Boyce, Helen Crane and Georgie Frost discuss what's going with property values and hunt for green shoots of recovery. Some of Britain's biggest banks are offering far better savings rates under different brands. We look at where the deals are hiding and how much more you could earn. Crane is back on the case — this time, she resolves a reader problem with an £11,500 heat pump. It left some rooms at just 12°C – and their energy bills went up. A-level results day was this week — do the younger generation need to go to university? We talk about the pressures facing school leavers and why a degree isn't the only route to a successful career, running through best apprenticeships and jobs that don't require a degree.
Guests: Helen Crane
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