Original Broadcast: The Bigger Picture
Professor Tim Evans of Middlesex University looks at Labour's move to the right of the Tories on housing and the NHS and feels it could become the natural party of government in the biggest seismic shift in UK politics since the early 20th century. He considers whether the world is hurtling towards a global financial crisis. And he assesses the growing public revolt around Europe against Net Zero, finding himself puzzled that no government appears to have carried out any costings in advance of such policies being announced.
Guests: Professor Tim Evans
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Original Broadcast: The Business Of Film
James Cameron-Wilson takes Simon Rose through the box office chart, led by The Exorcist: Believer which, despite the presence of Ellen Burstyn, James found boring, underlit & clichéd. He thought Gareth Edwards' sci-fi epic The Creator at #2 visually powerful and his best film to date. While Saw 10 (#3) was ingenious, James found it horribly sadistic and gave him a sleepless night, something a film rarely does. He thought The Great Escaper (#4) with Michael Caine & Glenda Jackson a padded anecdote rather than a film. Ken Loach's The Old Oak (#8) was marred by a contrived ending. Way down at #31, though, he found the documentary 20 Days In Mariupol about the invasion of Ukraine needed a strong stomach but was an amazing record of life in a war zone.
Guests: James Cameron-Wilson
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Original Broadcast: Gadgets and Gizmos
Steve Caplin talks tech with Simon Rose. Manchester is to trial AI-controlled traffic lights, Prada are to make spacesuits to go to the moon while there's a watch commemoriating Neil Armstrong which contains moon dust. There's a wheelchair which can climb stairs, Japanese businessmen can nap upright in a Giraffenap and nouvelle cuisine goes mobile with food dancing around the plate. All this and more.
Guests: Steve Caplin
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Original Broadcast: The Financial Outlook for Personal Investors
Russ Mould of A J Bell looks at the effect conflicts have had on financial markets using the All-Share Index since it was instituted in 1962. While recognising that much else is more important, he concludes that, by and large, the reaction of markets is not long lasting. The big exception was 1973's Yom Kippur War which led to the 73-4 oil price shock. While events may not be directly comparable, with inflation heightened and debt at astronomic heights, we have to hope that the US economy does not hit the buffers. Russ's Nostrodamic view is that as governments can't afford deflation, interest rates will be pushed lower. Please note: Russ's inability to access broadband means that sound quality is variable in places.
Guests: Russ Mould
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Original Broadcast: The Bigger Picture
In an episode first broadcast on 13th February 2020, just a couple of weeks before the Covid pandemic started, Professor Tim Evans of Middlesex University examined why big construction projects such as Crossrail and HS2 go over budget, what ought to be done about the BBC and its licence fee and he cast a look back over the UK's troubled relationship with the EU during its 47-year membership. In the light of Rishi Sunak's cancellation last week of HS2 north of Birmingham, it's interesting to note the strains in the HS2 project which were already evident three and half years ago. Meanwhile here's the link to our more recent commentary, Public Finance Disasters in Small Print: https://www.shareradio.co.uk/thinkingaloud/newsletters/comment-wc-2023-08-07/
Guests: Professor Tim Evans
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Original Broadcast: The Bigger Picture
Professor Tim Evans of Middlesex University laments the profligacy of Government and the failure of the Bank of England to get a grip on inflation. He compares it to the disastrous mid-70s, saying the Bank is failing badly. He looks at the shifting sands of HS2 and climate policy, explaining why the UK is so bad at infrastructure. And he finds a positive in the fact that so many people are choosing to continue to work beyond conventional retirement age.
Guests: Professor Tim Evans
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Original Broadcast: The Business Of Film
James Cameron-Wilson laments the current state of the UK box office, down 20% WOW & 35% YOY. He hates Expendables 4, limping in at #2 wth a mere £760,000. Paul Dano stars in Dumb Money, #5, about the Gamestop story. However, James found it utterly baffling and felt he'd already seen the film after watching the trailer. He was, however, very impressed by Flora & Son on Apple TV, an Irish film from the director of Once, Begin Again and Sing Street, about the transformative power of music. He ends with a tribute to the late Sir Michael Gambon.
Guests: James Cameron-Wilson
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Original Broadcast: The Financial Outlook for Personal Investors
Russ Mould of A J Bell discusses share buybacks. Long popular in the United States, he notes that they are currently down by a fifth YOY, pointing out that previous peaks coincided with market tops. In the UK, many of our biggest companies have engaged in buybacks, particularly in the financial field. With the FTSE yielding 3.9%, buybacks are adding another 2.3%. While private investors don't usually participate directly, their equity stake rises. Russ explains the ins and outs of share buybacks from a private investor's point of view.
Guests: Russ Mould
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Original Broadcast: Gadgets and Gizmos
Steve Caplin talks tech with Simon Rose. Alexa is to become more conversational while Meta has launched smart Ray-Ban glasses with AI. A website will show you the grisly details of medieval murders, while Swedish scientists believe they can resurrect a carnivorous marsupial from Tasmania. Mini launches its first eBike while there are improvements to car roof boxes and head torches. While Amazon is trying to limit the number of AI-written books, the US Copyright Office has ruled that art created with AI can not be copyrighted.
Guests: Steve Caplin
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Original Broadcast: The Financial Outlook for Personal Investors
Neil Shah of Edison Group discusses the fall in inflation and the MPC's decision to pause interest rate rises with Simon Rose. He points out that a lot of money is going into the bond market, which should be positive for equities and offers advice about how to position your porfolio in the current environment. He points to two companies investors might find interesting, Team Internet (formerly CentralNic) and Baker Steel Resource Trust.
Guests: Neil Shah
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