Podcasts

Political commentator Mike Indian examines the Government's response to the developing Coronavirus crisis, including social distancing, daily press conferences, school closures and emergency legislation. He also ponders the economic responses, including the latest interest rate cuts from the Bank of England and what might be done for those workers who get into financial difficulty. Pondering the responses in Europe and the United States, he also looks at the latest state of the Democratic Primaries.

Tech editor Steve Caplin looks at the best ways of using tech to keep in touch with those you can't visit and for home working. He admires the use of 3D printing to replace scarce oxygen mask valves, tests an app to make sure you're not touching your face and explains how theatres and film studios are reacting to the closure of live venues. And if your broadband at home seems slower than usual, he explains why we should blame the gamers.

James Cameron-Wilson examines a virus-hit box office, the last there'll be for some time with the country's cinemas closing. He reviews The Hunt, in at #3 and Misbehaviour, entering at #7. He discusses the way studios are reacting to the virus, moving earlier or straight to home release. For home viewing this week, James looks at Robert Bresson's 1945 film Les Dames du Bois de Boulogne. From next week, James will, understandably, concentrate on home releases.

Joe Healey of The Share Centre looks at the extraordinary state of the markets. Should investors be tempted by high yields? Should they drip feed investment? What are the defensive sectors? He also looks at recent news from Morrison's, Ocado and The Gym Group and ahead to what we might hear from Kingfisher and United Utilities.

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 show, it took over 10 years, but we are officially in bear market territory and likely at the start of a very bumpy ride in the stock market. Motley Fool’s Chief Investing Officer, Andy Cross, joins us to share what it was like during the last two bear markets as well as five Foolish rules he learned for coming out on top.

Well, what a week. We've had a Budget, a 0.5 per cent base rate cut and stock markets going haywire thanks to coronavirus and oil price crashes. Why did the Bank of England cut rates to 0.25 per cent on the morning of the Budget and what are policymakers hoping to achieve? How did Rishi Sunak perform in his first Budget as Chancellor and what was announced in his speech? On Thursday, the FTSE 100 saw its second biggest dive on record. What is happening to the markets and where does it end? On this week's podcast, Simon Lambert, Lee Boyce and Georgie Frost, dissect what has been one of the most turbulent weeks in living memory. In the Budget, we had a number of coronavirus measures – but also some titbits of personal finance news that could hit the pound in your pocket. We also look at what coronavirus means for travel insurance and your refund rights to events

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: The stock market has its worst day since 1987 as coronavirus concerns grow and Wall Street sentiment turns decidedly bearish. How should investors be approaching this market? Which companies are still well-positioned for the long term? Motley Fool analysts Andy Cross, Ron Gross, and Jason Moser tackle those questions and weigh in on the latest from Disney, Docusign, Pepsi, and Slack. The guys discuss why American Tower, Globant, and EPAM Systems are on their radar. The Motley Fool’s co-founder David Gardner shares his thoughts on the market sell-off, black swans, and the future of higher education.

Professor Tim Evans of Middlesex University discusses the political economy of the Coronavirus and the difficulties of protecting citizens in a non-totalitarian state. He examines Rishi Sunak's first Budget, asking what was in it, what is means for the government's overall economic and political direction and what it means for Labour and the Opposition.

James Cameron-Wilson looks at the UK box office, where takings are down 43% year-on-year. It's a disappointing opening at #1 for Pixar's latest animation, Onward, even though James adored it. In at #3 is Military Wives while a horror treatment of the old US TV series Fantasy Island makes #7. For home release James recommends Sidney Lumet's 1962 adaptations of A Long Day's Journey Into Night, just re-released.

Graham Spooner of The Share Centre discusses the turmoil in stock markets caused by the knock-on effects around the world of the Coronavirus on a day when the FTSE-100 Share Index fell by 11%. The company reporting calendar continues, however, so he also looks ahead to what we might expect from Morrison's, Next and Ferguson.