Podcasts

Graham Spooner of The Share Centre looks at recent news from Sainsbury's, Persimmon and William Hill - with its announcement of the closure of many of its high street shops. He also looks at the rise in the price of gold to a five-year high. Looking ahead, he highlights what we might expect from Barratt Developments and Ocado.

James Cameron-Wilson looks at the UK box office, where the hot weather has once more hit admissions. Toy Story 4 still reigns supreme, with the Richard Curtis/Danny Boyle romcom Yesterday coming in at #2 with a very disappointing £2.2m take. Doc Apollo 11 debuts at #8. The recommended home release of the week is Loro from Great Beauty director Paolo Sorrentino, about Silvio Berlusconi.

Professor Tim Evans of Middlesex University considers the latest opinion poll putting Labour in fourth place and wonders if history is being made or whether it is just a temporary blip? He looks at the politics and culture of music and dress from punk and Thatcher's new romantics through to a very modern dandy. And he comments on the race to be Europe's first spaceport, which may be won by Britain.

Steve Caplin on Facebook's closing down of fake review sites and Stanford University's tool that lets you convincingly put words into people's mouths in videos. There's the world's most efficient vehicle, a fan that's also a pen, camera, recording device and phone, the Musicians' Union complaining about classical music on streaming services, an LED spirit level, the speed of 5G and Amazon's airborne Neighbourhood Watch idea.

Nike reports a rare profit miss. FedEx delivers a warning but shares climb. Apple announces a big departure. And a Taco Bell hotel quickly sells out. Analysts Ron Gross and Jason Moser discuss those stories and dig into big banks, Constellation Brands, General Mills, Shopify and McCormick. Plus, Motley Fool CEO Tom Gardner talks with Zoom founder and CEO Eric Yuan about video conferencing technology and the future of the workplace.

Last month, the owner of a chain of British hi-fi shops did something unusual. Julian Richer, the founder of Richer Sounds, gave away control of the company to the employees, and even gave them each a £1,000 cash bonus for every year they’ve worked there. It’s a rare move for company owners to give up their wealth. Is this just generosity, or could it actually be good for business? And could it also be good economics, and even good for the planet? The New Economics Foundation is back for a brand new series of the Weekly Economics Podcast. Ayesha Thomas-Smith is joined by Marjorie Kelly, Executive Vice President and Senior Fellow of The Democracy Collaborative in the US, and Mathew Lawrence, director of the think tank Common Wealth and co-author of a NEF report about inclusive ownership funds.

Justin Wright is the co-author of best-selling business book, ‘Stretchonomics’ and co-founder at consultancy Mangrove. A builder’s son, he started out as a money broker before deciding that City life was not for him – he describes his first day as one of the most daunting of his life. He later studied psychology before joining Proctor and Gamble. His agency looks after the likes of Diageo, Unilever, and BP. Justin admires great names from the world of sport, saying we should not underestimate the power of enjoying “something simple”.

Saving, spending, planning — you've got money questions and we've got answers. Every week host Alison Southwick and personal finance expert Robert Brokamp challenge the conventional wisdom on life's biggest financial issues to reveal what you really need to know to make smart money moves. In this week's episode, Ron Gross joins us to tackle many of your numbers-based investing questions around stock valuation, earnings reports, EBITDA and more.

Adam Cox talks to spiritual business coach, Ollie Trew, about why so many people fall into the trap of pursuing the path they think is meant for them, but end up feeling unhappy and frustrated. They discuss the symptoms to look out for, and why alignment doesn’t mean all or nothing.