Merryn Talks Money

Alyx Wood, chief investment officer of UK-focused hedge fund Kernow Asset Management, joins Merryn this week. We discuss his contrarian approach to investing, where he is short, where he is long, and why he's decided to focus on UK equities.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this week's roundup, Merryn speaks with  Money Distilled newsletter author John Stepek about Chancellor Rachel Reeves's Spring Statement. They discuss what it means for your money, and why despite the Chancellor’s cuts and tweaks, the UK’s fiscal head room remains inadequate.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bloomberg personal finance reporter Suzanne Woolley is back on Merryn Talks Your Money . She discusses her latest in the 'Where to Invest' series, where four investment experts share suggestions on where they'd put $1 million right now. Ideas include European stocks, multifamily housing and art.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

UK billionaire Michael Spencer joins Merryn this week to explain why he’s betting big on Nutshell Asset Management’s trading strategy. There isn’t much everyone agrees on in markets. But one thing you rarely hear an argument against is the importance of trading as little as possible. The higher your turnover, the higher your costs go and the worse your overall performance will be...

In this week's roundup, Merryn speaks with  Money Distilled newsletter author John Stepek about Chancellor Rachel Reeves's upcoming fiscal event and what it could mean for your finances.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this week’s personal finance edition of Merryn Talks Money , hosts Merryn Somerset Webb and John Stepek discuss a selection of reader questions. Among them are why pension planning could be different between men and women, what to consider when choosing an Individual Savings Account in the UK and why dying broke might not be such a bad idea.  See omnystudio.com/listener for...

Troy Asset Management founder Sebastian Lyon joins Merryn this week to talk strategies for protecting your capital in these crazy markets. They also discuss how the low interest-rate environment hit the UK investment trust industry hard, and the way he sees it rebounding, as well as American exceptionalism and why there are good reasons to be cautious about investing in the US, and his outloo...

The great John Authers, senior markets editor and Opinion columnist at Bloomberg, joins Merryn and John Stepek for this week's roundup. He talks about his time in Frankfurt, explaining "the biggest turning point for German economic policy at least since reunification, and possibly much longer." He also points out why German companies look like good value ( "take 10 percent out of your Mag7 ET...

There’s no tradeoff between net zero and growth in the UK. That’s the conventional wisdom and the position of the current government. But what if it’s the decline in available electricity that’s causing productivity, GDP and living standards to stagnate?  New research from Kallum Pickering, chief economist at Peel Hunt, suggests there may indeed be a con...

Merryn speaks with Bloomberg personal finance and wealth reporter Suzanne Woolley about the latest instalment in her "Where to Invest" series. They discuss where four money managers said they’d put a $100,000 stake right now. Opportunities mentioned include stocks outside the US, tech and a holiday house in Greece.  Read the story here: https://www.bloomberg.com/features/how-to-invest-1...

Merryn Somerset Webb interviews GMO co-founder and notorious caller of market bubbles Jeremy Grantham. Grantham, who also serves as the firm’s long-term investment strategist, leans in to his more than five decades of investing experience to explain the current “super bubble” in the markets. He comments on when we’ll see a correction, the fate of the green transition and wh...

In this week's roundup, Merryn speaks with  Money Distilled newsletter author John Stepek about the souring mood on America’s equity market, particularly megacap tech.  In case you missed it (or were on holiday like John), the seven behemoths that powered a 54% surge in US stocks over two years tumbled into a collective correction Tuesday. They also discuss the latest moves in Bitc...

Want a different passport? Wish you lived somewhere with a better tax policy or even better weather? With enough money, it is possible. It’s called citizenship by investment, a process of gaining permanent residency by purchasing property or investing in the economy. On this week’s episode of  Merryn Talks Money , host Merryn Somerset Webb speaks with Dominic Volek, group hea...

Every decade has its story for investors. The 1970s were all about gold. The 1980s were all about Japan. In the 1990s it was the Internet. In the 2000s, we all shoveled money into China and emerging markets. And in the 2010s, we had eyes for nothing but software and American exceptionalism. So what’s next? That’s the question Jawad Mian, founder and managing editor of Stray Reflections...

In this week's roundup, Merryn speaks with  Money Distilled newsletter author John Stepek about why the inflation reading was so surprising, why it's more important than ever to protect your savings, and why the cost of energy is such a hot topic globally.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this week’s personal finance edition of Merryn Talks Money , hosts Merryn Somerset Webb and Bloomberg  Money Distilled author John Stepek turn their attention to cash Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs) and how the rules around them may soon change--and why that means you should think about how much cash you've got saved.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What would philosopher and political economist Adam Smith think of Donald Trump’s love of tariffs? What would he make of the Republican president’s approach to taxes and deregulation? On this episode of  Merryn Talks Money , recorded last week in Dubai, a special panel joins host Merryn Somerset Webb to try and answer those questions using Smith’s texts as a guide. They...

Gold is enjoying a bump after President Donald Trump announced new tariffs on US steel and aluminum imports this week. Merryn speaks with reporter Jack Ryan, who covers mining and precious metals, and gold market veteran Charlie Morris of ByteTree to discuss what’s driving gold’s ascent and what investors can do to make some money out of the moves.  See omnystudio.com/listene...

All investors look for an edge. You only make real money by having “alpha,” as the jargon goes. On this week’s episode of Merryn Talks Money , host Merryn Somerset Webb is joined by a guest who knows all about the quest for advantage: Bloomberg Indices Quant Researcher Steve Hou. Put simply, Hou’s job is to find what “works” in markets and then find ways to...

In this week's roundup, senior writer and Money Distilled  author John Stepek speaks with Opinion columnist Marcus Ashworth. They discuss what Trump’s tariff threats mean for your money, gold's surge, and why there’s more to equities than just US stocks.  Marcus's latest column: https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2025-02-03/trump-tariffs-ecb-dithers-while-euro-economy...

On this week’s personal finance edition of Merryn Talks Money , the conversation revolves around effective financial planning for one’s eventual death. Merryn Somerset Webb sits down with Matthew Hutton, author of  Your Last Gift: Getting Your Affairs in Order , to discuss practical advice on how to navigate the inheritance tax, write a will, choose an executor, manage digita...

In this week's roundup, Merryn speaks with  Money Distilled newsletter author John Stepek about Chancellor Rachel Reeves' growth speech this week, and the obstacles she'll likely face getting her ideas across the line. They also discuss whether Chinese AI startup DeepSeek is good news or worrying news for US Big Tech. John says bottom line is remember: there should be more room  foruncer...

Founder and Manager of the Blue Whale Growth Fund Stephen Yiu joins this week to discuss the Big Tech selloff, his outlook for AI and where he’s investing now. Yiu, whose investment fund is backed by billionaire Peter Hargreaves, reduced its stakes in major US technology companies on concern over the costs of AI at the end of 2024. What did he see that other investors didn't? And where does...

Panmure Liberum Chief Economist Simon French joins host Merryn Somerset Webb and senior reporter John Stepek to discuss why boosting the UK's growth should start with encouraging North Sea oil and gas production. The book Simon recommends at the end of the interview is called Digital Minimalism. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this week's roundup, Merryn speaks with  Money Distilled  newsletter author John Stepek about what TrumpCoin signals for the US presidency and the crypto industry, where the investment trust showdown stands now that Boaz Weinstein's Saba Capital failed to take control of Herald Investment Trust, and Chancellor Rachel Reeves' conversation with Bloomberg in Davos. See omnystudio.com/lis...