Podcasts

James Cameron-Wilson talks to Simon Rose about the latest state of the UK box office, still becalmed ahead of the imminent release of Tenet. Together, they review the camp classic Flash Gordon which is out again for its 40th birthday. According to star Brian Blessed, it is the Queen's favourite film. James also reviews the Gemma Arterton film Summerland and the Shailene Woodley vehicle Endings, Beginnings.

Helal Miah of The Share Centre looks at recent news from Intercontinental Hotels, Prudential, Admiral and GVC, all to some extent affected by the Covid pandemic. He looks ahead and gives an idea of what we might expect from Persimmon, Wood Group and BHP.

Adam Cox is joined by stage hypnotist, Robert Temple, who details the fun and challenges of being a stage hypnotist in the 2020s. He discusses the perceptions and misconceptions of stage hypnotists and why he decided to become one. They discuss why many hypnotherapists look down on stage hypnotists, and what the future has in store for this form of entertainment.

Financial Planning Fool Amanda Kish joins us to discuss the things you should not do if you want to be a successful investor.

On this week’s podcast, Simon Lambert and Georgie Frost discuss negative rates: what’s the point, do they have any positives and beyond costing savers’ interest how would they prove harmful? They also talk gold and why the price of the precious metal has soared 35 per cent this year, to rise above the $2,000 mark and whether it can keep going. Buying gold and taking rates negative are seen as glass-half-empty measures, but are things brighter than we think? The housing market is doing better than expected, car sales have posted a surprise 11 per cent annual rise and Britain went mad for eating out at the start of the week, thanks to Rishi Sunak’s discount deals. Are these indicators of a V-shaped recovery? The job losses that continue to pile up will weigh on that and the team have tips on what to do if you are made redundant or it is a threat. And finally, if you do fancy splashing out and have your eye on a new car, you might think it is time go electric. Simon runs through What Car?’s new special awards for the best electric cars in every category.

Disney’s streaming service gets the job done. Wayfair crushes expectations. Arista Networks sells off despite beating expectations. Square gets a boost from the Cash App. Teladoc and Livongo Health enter into a telemedicine merger. Wix.com posts strong revenue growth but swings to a loss. Etsy generates triple digit revenue growth. Twilio reports record results, but the stock takes a breather. Motley Fool analysts Andy Cross and Jason Moser discuss those stories and share two stocks on their radar: LivePerson and Health Catalyst. Plus, entrepreneur, author, and philanthropist John Hope Bryant talks financial dignity and economic empowerment.

Political commentator Mike Indian looks at the Government's obesity strategy and its decision to target junk food advertising. He considers the significance of the announced planning reforms, whether local lockdowns are the right way forward and tries to make sense of the COVID border policy. He also looks at the prospects for the American Presidential Election with three months to go.

For the first time since lockdown began, our film critic James Cameron-Wilson was able to attend a film in an actual cinema. He reviews the film he saw there, Unhinged, a thriller starring Russell Crowe. He also looks at the streaming version of the hit musical Hamilton and British movie Make Up. He also considers what Disney's decision to bypass cinemas with Mulan might mean for cinemas around the world.

Joe Healey of The Share Centre looks at the current state of UK dividend payouts, where some light is being seen amidst the previous gloom. He also looks at the banks, particularly the problems faced by HSBC and at the airline sector and, in particular, at easyJet. Looking ahead, he suggests what we might expect from Intercontinental Hotels, Prudential and Just Eat.

Tech guru Steve Caplin asks what liquid which most of us use is more expensive than premium whisky or Chanel #5. He tells us about the world's first fly-in cinema, the Taipei competition to win fake air trips, the beetle that can digest polystyrene, robot dogs for the blind, the roll-up chess set, the porch parcel protection system and why future civilisations will know more about ancient Egyptians than they do about us.