Podcasts

James Cameron-Wilson casts his eye over a thriving UK box office. He reviews the new number one film, The Meg, a Sino-American co-production starring Jason Statham, apparently a one-time Commonwealth Games diving competitor. Also in the spotlight is The Darkest Minds, a film in the mould of The Hunger Games and the Divergent series. And out for home release, James highly recommends the horror or sci-fi thriller A Quiet Place, which he considers one of the best films of the year.

Steve Caplin asks us to believe that he and other electric cyclists are as fit as those who use leg power to pedal their bikes. He also looks at the huge IT problems caused by the Japanese Emperor abdicating next year, at Amazon banning customers who return too many items, at anonymised data that is far from anonymous, at a mass butter spreader and at a way of packing clothes more tightly in suitcases.

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: Tesla’s dramatic week has Wall Street debating the company’s future; Superheroes rescue Disney’s 2nd-quarter report; Trade Desk’s stock soars on record revenue.; And Match Group shareholders feel the love.

Is there an issue that gets under the collar of Brits more than unfair parking charges?! Find out what happened when our very own Lee Boyce got hit. Also imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery – but not in the case of supermarket own brand products! The fightback is on. We have the fallout from the interest rate rise – how have savers fared? And… Could you make your child a pension millionaire? Probably not but you could give them a nice little helping hand.

Adam talks to personal finance expert, author and TV presenter Jasmine Birtles about the 70th anniversary of the NHS and what companies, such as retailer Iceland, are doing to reward or incentivise people who work for the NHS and other emergency services. They discuss how companies can build goodwill and increase loyalty by rewarding those who go the extra mile. They talk about the psychology of discounting and deals and how we’ve moved on from feeling embarrassed about showing a discount voucher to a waiter in a restaurant.

In the final episode of the current series of Policy Matters, hosts Franz Buscha and Matt Dickson talk to Sandra McNally, Professor of Economics at the University of Surrey and Director of the Centre for Vocational Education Research. When it comes to education, much of the public debate and media attention focuses on the traditional academic route of A-levels and University. But what about the 50% of young people who don’t ever go to University – what are the options for them and are they as consistently neglected by policymakers as they are by the media and wider public? Sandra explains the vocational route compared to the academic pathway and discusses the merits of vocational qualifications, highlighting recent evidence on their labour market returns. Franz, Matt and Sandra go on to discuss how the structure of the UK economy, the incentives for training and the priorities of young people and employers interact within the vocational system, asking what could be done to improve this education route for young people and older workers who wish to continue learning.

The Bank of England has moved interest rates to their highest level in almost a decade. If you’ve got a mortgage, it might get more expensive. If you’ve got savings, you might get a bit more interest on your money. Does this tell us anything about what the Bank of England thinks is going to happen to the economy? And was it the right decision? Ayeisha Thomas-Smith speaks to Alfie Stirling, head of economics at the New Economics Foundation.

With power struggles within Parliament dominating the headlines, it’s all too easy to forget the bigger picture of our departure from the EU. Yet, with public consultations opening up about our first bilateral trade agreements, this debate is continuing – though perhaps not getting the attention it deserves. Today we’re joined by Shanker Singham, Director of the IEA’s International Trade and Competition Unit, and Senior Policy Analyst Dr Radomir Tylecote. They examine these consultations, what it could mean for business – and what the government should be doing to give firms more certainty and help them prepare for the future. Finally, they examine public opinion towards free trade. If recent polling is anything to go by, the public mood is decidedly anti-protectionist – just as it was in the 19th century, when free exchange triumphed over mercantilism in the battle of ideas.

Ian Forrest of The Share Centre looks back at numbers from HSBC, Intercontinental Hotels Group and Cineworld and looks ahead to what we might expect when Kingfisher reports.

James Cameron-Wilson looks at the re-energised UK box offce with Ant-Man and The Wasp sneakily managing to grab the No. 1 slot from Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again! He also reviews two home releases, both of which he heartily recommends, Steven Spielberg's Ready Player One and Francois Ozon's L'Amant Double.