Podcasts

There won't be another budget this year. Instead, we had the Winter Economy Plan unveiled this week as fears over a second wave of coronavirus infections - and the further economic turmoil it could create - takes hold. Despite repeated calls to extend the furlough scheme, Chancellor Rishi Sunak held firm. How does this new Jobs Support Scheme stack-up, will it be enough and what else did Mr Sunak reveal? Simon Lambert, Lee Boyce and Georgie Frost take a look. Meanwhile, importers are worried about container delays at Felixstowe Port, with coronavirus measures reportedly creating a backlog. NS&I made some brutal cuts to savings rates and its Premium Bonds – why did it make the move, just how severe are the cuts and where can savers head next? We could be about to see the end of the loyalty penalty - when sticking with one insurer for your car or home really doesn't pay – and it may save households nearly £4billion in the next decade. And lastly, hot tubs… the hot weather at the start of lockdown saw many people snap them up. But, now, many are complaining of faulty ones, with difficulties getting them fixed.

Professor Tim Evans of Middlesex University looks at the problematic nature of political economy as the Government prepares for the second wave of the coronavirus. He discusses Sir Keir Starmer's "conference" speech and how Labour is beginning to get its act together. And he muses on political psychology in the wake of comments from Grayson Perry about the degrees of openness shown by those on opposite sides of the political spectrum.

James Cameron-Wilson looks at the latest UK box office chart, where - in the absence of other blockbusters - Tenet still reigns supreme. He reviews the cinema return of Bill & Ted in Bill & Ted Face The Music. For home viewing he looks at the Netflix new release The Devil All The Time from Antonio Campos and delights in the first feature from Parasite director Boon Joon Ho, Barking Dogs Never Bite.

Ian Forrest of The Share Centre looks at the effect on the market of the Government's new rules on Covid-19. He also reflects on recent good company news from Kingfisher (owner of B&Q and Screwfix) and Pets at Home, as well as a less optimistic report from Whitbread, Britain's biggest hotel group. Looking ahead, he considers what might be expected when we hear from Boohoo and Compass.

Steve Caplin reveals some of the IgNobel prizewinners for the daftest scientific studies. Also the new Playstation and an upgrade to Oculus Quest, robot shelf stackers in Japan, economically-sound pellet guns, Amazon's patent for a burglar deterrent, Wikipedia's positive effect on tourism (except in the Netherlands) and why a second-hand TV has been causing havoc to broadband in a Welsh village.

Adam Cox is joined by mindset mentor, Malina Bien, who discusses how to become more confident – as well as the relationship between confidence and self-esteem. Malina shares some tips to immediately boost your confidence, and explains why the difference between confidence and arrogance.

Hosts Franz Buscha and Matt Dickson talk to Nadine Smith, Director of the Centre for Public Impact. Prior to her current role, Nadine was a civil servant at the Cabinet Office for many years, working at the centre of UK government at the intersection of policy, politics and communications. Franz and Matt begin by asking Nadine about the mission of the Centre for Public Impact and how they look to influence policymakers and improve government. The conversation considers the problems that arise when public service provision is marketized and driven by performance targets and league tables, and how many systems might be redesigned to be more responsive to the needs of citizens. Nadine, Franz and Matt then go on to discuss the possibilities for greater citizen involvement in decision-making – and the ways in which we could potentially introduce more deliberative democracy in the UK.

In this episode, Adam creates a hypnosis session designed to help someone with a bereavement or loss of a loved one. It uses elements of imagination to resolve unfinished business or loose ends and to say the words that couldn't or weren't said when the person was alive. This session uses an innovative metaphor for the pain and sorrow of loss, to reduce the impact and to introduce more positive and resourceful emotional states.

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, the team is joined by Dr. Rakesh Kochhar from the Pew Research Center to help us understand how the unemployment rate is calculated, how to dig into the numbers of the monthly Jobs Report, and the impact of COVID-19 on workers in the US.

Want to keep up with the latest earnings updates from the States? Well join Chris Hill and the Motley Fool Radio Show team here on Share Radio, direct from Washington DC, for news, views and analysis of the US stocks that matter. In this week's show: Snowflake dazzles with the biggest software IPO ever; Adobe reports record revenue; Lennar Corp raises the roof with big earnings; Nvidia makes a $40 billion buy; Telehealth company AmWell makes its debut on Wall Street; FedEx hits a new all-time high; Dave & Buster’s declines on bankruptcy concerns; And the nation prepares for a Peeps-free Halloween. Motley Fool analysts Andy Cross and Jason Moser discuss those stories and share a couple of stocks on their radar: Nike and Freshpet. Plus, award-winning personal finance expert Laura Adams offers helpful tips for anyone starting a business and shares other insights from her new book, Money-Smart Solopreneur: A Personal Finance System for Freelancers, Entrepreneurs, and Side-Hustlers.