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Russ Mould of A J Bell looks back at 2021, with record highs in the US, India and France and the UK doing creditably and with a decent yield. Oil rose 40% year on year and may yet surprise in 2022 while government bonds were disappointing. Gold surprised by doing little, despite the return of inflation. Looking ahead, Russ believes commodities and real assets may be the safest things, although the actions of central banks will still determine the state of the markets.

Political commentator Mike Indian channels his inner Marley to look at politicians past, present & future. He assesses the void that will be left by the departing German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, perhaps the most impactful world leader of modern times. He asks if the goodwill shown towards Boris Johnson is running out and ponders what his legacy will be. And he wonders if Joe Biden can use his remaining time to bring about the considerable reforms that are necessary in the United States.

Scrooge has made the deal of his life with Chinese investors and must now quickly return to London on Christmas Eve to close the deal. On the flight back, during a fitful sleep, Scrooge confronts his past and present and learns the future consequences of his miserly life to find the true meaning of Christmas. Proscenium Online Theatre is super excited to be bringing you a whole new season of audio dramas in 2022. Starting off with 'The Girl in the Yellow Dress', a dark romance by South African playwright Craig Higginson, and 'Plunder', an original Hong Kong based thriller by American playwright Alan Olejniczak. In the meantime - sit back, close your eyes and enjoy the Proscenium Online Theatre’s production of 'A Christmas Carol'. https://www.prosceniumonlinetheatre.com

Join the Sustain:Social panel session in December '21, considering the outlook for investors in the wake of the COP26 in Glasgow. The panel comprises of - Chair: Rodney Hobson Panel: Gervais Williams (Premier Miton Group); Jamie Broderick (Impact Investing Institute); Mohan Gundu (Sustainable Funds Group); Mike Appleby (Liontrust Sustainable Investment team); Gavin Oldham (The Share Foundation / Share Radio).

Adam Cox is joined by co-founder of Butternut Box, David Nolan, to discuss how many dog owners aren't meeting the dietary requirements of their pet, and the impact this may be having. They look at some of the main factors that contribute to a dog being overweight, and David explains how Butternut Box aims to change the dog food industry.

Modern life can weigh you down with its demands for a regimented routine, and it's not unusual to find this challenged by the 'inner child'. Does this feel like an indulgence, as if it threatens to sabotage your daily self-discipline? This episode suggests that you treat it as a gift, not a problem: helping you to see how collaboration between your different parts can provide teamwork between them rather than conflict. Be inspired by the joy and playfulness that is 'living in the moment', and let it bring new optimism and confidence to daily life!

They finally did it! The Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee raised the base rate from its emergency 0.1% level to 0.25%. That came the day after inflation rocketed to 5.1 per cent - and is forecast to keep rising - and in the week that the International Monetary Fund warned the Bank of England against 'inaction bias'. Markets were cheered by the rate rise and economists were broadly welcoming too, yet the general consensus is that it will make little difference to the inflation Britain is suffering. So, why raise interest rates and was this the right move as the nation stares down the barrel of yet more (potentially overcooked) Covid disruption? On this week’s podcast, Georgie Frost, Tanya Jefferies and Simon Lambert delve into the rate rise, ask whether it was the right move but maybe for the wrong reason, and look at why inflation is soaring and when it may abate. The team also discuss how this will affect ordinary people and whether it will add to the cost of living squeeze hitting everywhere from the petrol pump, to your heating and the supermarket aisles. Tanya gives an update on delayed state pension cases and her investigations into this and whether the generation in their late 40s will have to wait longer to retire. And finally, it’s nearly Christmas and frantic present buying is the order of the day, but if you were going to give a financial gift to a child would you give Premium Bonds, shares or bitcoin?

What were the biggest headlines of the year for investors? Who made the most questionable comments? Why were Ford Motor, Bath & Body Works, and Synaptics such surprising stocks in 2021? What makes the underlying businesses of Roku, Axon Enterprise, and Twilio better than their recent stock performances? Motley Fool analysts Andy Cross, Ron Gross, and Jason Moser answer those questions and share why Arkadiy Dobkin (EPAM Systems), Satya Nadella (Microsoft), and Marvin Ellison (Lowe’s) get their votes for CEO of the Year. Plus, the guys share investing discoveries they made in 2021 and three stocks on their radar (Chipotle, Costco, Crocs) that have a common trait among them.

Motley Fool Analyst Bill Mann joins us to talk about why the market is up but your portfolio may be down. We’ll share some big news and battle our online shopping demons.

Russ Mould of A J Bell wonders if the Bank of England is behind the curve, raising interest rates from 0.1% to 0.25%. CPI inflation is 5.1% with RPI the highest in 30 years. He gives an example of a company already implementing double-digit price rises. If investors think inflation and interest rates are set to rise further, Russ offers advice. What's worked for the past decade and more may no longer be sensible in the future.