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The major banks are cashing in on high interest rates, but cracks continue to show in the picture of the consumer. Emily Flippen and Jason Moser discuss what big interest rates mean for big banks and the latest insights from Jamie Dimon, Pepsi’s earnings showing signs that growth might be propped up by price hikes, and Atlassian’s $1B acquisition of Loom, the market reaction. to the Birkenstock IPO, and Spotify’s latest audio push. Then, 19 minutes in, Bloomberg’s Zeke Faux talks about the trial of FTX’s Sam Bankman Fried with Motley Fool Money’s Deidre Woollard. Finally, 33 minutes in, Jason and Emily break down two stocks on their radar: Outset Medical and Twilio. Stocks discussed: JPM, WFC, PEP, TEAM, BIRK, SPOT, OM, TWLO. Host - Dylan Lewis; Guests - Emily Flippen, Jason Moser, Deidre Woollard, Zeke Faux

The DOJ’s anti-trust suit against Google is far from over, but details are emerging that show even the search giant knew the optics of their search default deal with Apple weren’t great. Tim Beyers and Dylan Lewis discuss how the Department of Justice is charging Google for cementing itself as the search leader with exclusive deals with Apple, just how lucrative those deals were for Apple, and the similarities with this case and the government’s anti-trust case against Microsoft in the 1990s. Then, 15 minutes in, Mary Long caught up with Motley Fool analyst Sanmeet Deo for a chat about airport security stock Clear and the race to the front of the line. Companies discussed: AAPL, GOOG, GOOGL, YOU. Host - Dylan Lewis; Guests - Tim Beyers, Mary Long, Sanmeet Deo

House prices will continue to fall, says an influential poll of estate agents. The latest survey by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors found that buyer demand is declining and fewer homes are coming to the market. Meanwhile, Halifax’s latest house price figures show a £14,000 drop compared to the recent peak in August 2022 and 4.7% fall in the year to the end of September, the largest since 2009. So, how much further could they fall and are buyers in danger of trying to time the market? Will there be a big pause before a general election next year? Georgie Frost, Simon Lambert and Lee Boyce discuss the age old favourite of house prices. Last week has also seen the Bank of England sound the alarm over 35 year mortgages – should we be concerned? Skipton Building Society launches a headline mortgage rate of 3.35%. What’s the catch? It comes as its rival Nationwide has new best buy home loan rates. Could mortgage deals continue to fall? And we look at the top up-and-coming areas for first-time buyers: Does your area make the cut? Spoiler: it features Hull, Middlesbrough and Ipswich. DIY investors went on a gilt-buying spree in September - shunning the stock market and savings accounts. The UK government bonds were paying as little as 0.125% last month – so why were they getting involved? Hargreaves Lansdown is launching a basic, no-frills pension for those who want an easy way to invest for retirement but aren’t quite sure how to get started. They are the first SIPP provider to give details after regulators said they had to offer customers a 'default' option by the start of December. Will it make SIPPs sexy enough to the self-employed? Shrinkflation, bogus loyalty card savings and variable prices in supermarkets... we’re fed up with the lot of them. Are you?

Adam Cox is accompanied by Rob Sherry from the Jump Digital School to delve into the digital skills gap in the United Kingdom and the potential ramifications it carries. Together, they explore strategies for tackling these challenges and emphasize the significance of equipping young individuals with digital proficiencies. Additionally, Rob sheds light on the diverse range of courses available at the Jump Digital School. https://www.thejump.tech/

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.

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.

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.

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.

As the Party Conference season draws to a close, we check out last week's rather lacklustre Conservative event and add some thoughts to Sunak's agenda for education. Meanwhile, for those more focused on how to invest and still meet the net zero targets, don't miss the Sustain:Social Investing Conference on Saturday 21st October! https://sustain.social Background music: 'Communicator' by Reed Mathis

Inflation is easing, food prices are coming down from their peak and the energy price cap dropped last weekend. But you are still paying around 10% more for your groceries now than last year, petrol prices are rising, mortgage rates are still high, and you may end up paying more for your gas and electricity this winter too. But how is that possible? Angharad Carrick, Georgie Frost, Lee Boyce and Helen Crane tackle energy bills and look at who might be paying more in the next three months. And when it comes to water bills, some firms are looking at charging 44% more over the next seven years. Why? Crane on the Case tackles a parking charge issued after someone waited too long in a McDonald’s drive-thru queue. Despite that, Helen managed to get a positive result – but why are so many parking charges being dished out every day, and where is the promised government help to stop it happening? Lee gives you a run through of another busy week in the world of savings and banking. NS&I has pulled its best buy one year fix paying 6.2%; NatWest has a secret top 5.2% easy-access deal; Moneybox is offering the top cash ISA of 5%; and Starling Bank is now offering to pay you for having a current account. It’s also been a hairy week for Metro Bank – but we explain why FSCS has you covered. And finally — the list of the UK's 'perfect' retirement locations has been revealed - and there are some surprising names on it, including the Outer Hebrides. Consumer group Which? has taken retirees' wish-lists for their later-life locations to work out its own grouping of the 12 top places to spend your golden years. But does it tally up to what you think is a perfect retirement location?