Merryn Talks Money
Merryn Talks Money
Merryn Talks Money with Bloomberg senior columnist Merryn Somerset Webb is your key to understanding how markets work – and how you can make them work for you. Every episode features a relaxed but in-depth conversation with a fund manager, a strategist, a Bloomberg expert or just someone Merryn finds particularly interesting in any given week. Listen in for the kind of insights and explanations ev…Social links:
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The 51% Graduate Tax
Many of the graduates whose university costs were funded with Plan 2 student loans are now in their 30s, wondering why they have no money at the end of the month, and why they still owe more student debt than they left uni with. The critical mass of graduates feeling the pinch might just have been …
18:11
Diversification Play: Why It's Not Too Late to Buy Asia
Fiona Yang, portfolio manager on the Invesco Asia Dragon Trust, joins Merryn Somerset Webb to discuss why global capital rotated from US equities into emerging Asia in 2025—and what she sees happening in 2026. She explains her valuation-driven, long-term, contrarian approach to stock selection acro…
39:01Clean
Markets Weekly: Inflation Falls, Wage Growth Cools, and Bets on BOE Cuts
On this week's markets wrap, John Stepek speaks with Bloomberg Opinion columnist Marcus Ashworth and Morwenna Coniam from the Markets Today team about this week’s fall in the headline rate of consumer price inflation and slowing wage growth. They also discuss rising youth unemployment and the poten…
20:15Clean
REITs Explained: How Real Estate Investment Trusts Work and What Moves Their Prices
Merryn Somerset Webb and John Stepek are joined by Bloomberg’s Jack Sidders to break down how Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) work and why they’ve struggled in recent years. They explore the impact of interest rates, the significance of different sectors such as warehouses, student housing an…
27:29Clean
Modern Monetary Theory: Free Money or Fiscal Fantasy?
Merryn Somerset Webb speaks with Panmure LiberumChief Economist Simon French to unpack Modern Monetary Theory—the idea that governments issuing their own currency can spend freely, constrained only by inflation. They explore whether the pandemic offered a real-world test of MMT, why fiscal policy m…
27:08Clean
Markets Weekly: AI Sparks Market Rotation, UK Political Risk, and the Pensions Property Debate
On this week's markets wrap, hosts Merryn Somerset Webb and John Stepek discuss a sharp market rotation driven by growing fears that AI will disrupt – rather than simply enhance – major sectors including legal services, wealth management, and digital platforms. As “old economy” stocks rise and Asia…
18:08Clean
What Reform Plans to Do If It Takes Over the UK with Richard Tice
With talk of an early UK election swirling, Reform Deputy Leader Richard Tice joins Merryn Somerset Webb to make the case that his party is ready to govern. Tice argues that Reform UK, which is leading in the polls, is gearing up policy “working groups” and road-testing power in local councils. He …
21:30Clean
The 'Boring' Industries the UK Can’t Afford to Lose
Merryn Somerset Webb is joined by Sky News economics editor Ed Conway, author of Material World, to explain why the real engines of modern life aren’t apps and algorithms—they’re the raw materials and “unseen” industries that make everything else possible. From salt and ethylene to ammonia and soda…
32:14Clean
Emergency Pod: Is It All Over for Bitcoin?
In this emergency bonus episode of Merryn Talks Money, Merryn Somerset Webb and John Stepek unpack a sudden crypto selloff that has seen Bitcoin tumble nearly 50% from its highs, confounding expectations that it would behave like “digital gold.” To make sense of the chaos, they’re joined by Charli…
24:36Clean
Markets Weekly: Tech and Crypto Slide, BOE Surprise, Turbulence for Gilts and Pound
On this week's Merryn Talks Money markets round up, Bloomberg senior reporter, John Stepek is joined once again by Bloomberg Opinion columnist Marcus Ashworth. The pair analyse the Bank of England’s latest interest rate decision and look at what lies behind the Bank's suddenly dovish turn. They als…
14:51Clean