Merryn Somerset Webb and John Stepek answer listener questions on how retail investor flows, passive investing, and social media have reshaped markets, arguing that the surge in everyday investing has significantly boosted stock prices — particularly in the US.

They also discuss practical personal finance challenges around pensions, capital gains tax, and passive versus active investing.

Merryn Somerset Webb and John Stepek answer listener questions on how retail investor flows, passive investing, and social media have reshaped markets, arguing that the surge in everyday investing has significantly boosted stock prices &mdash; particularly in the US.
They also discuss practical personal finance challenges around pensions, capital gains tax, and passive versus active investing.

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 everyone can use to help them make better saving and investing choices.

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 everyone can use to help them make better saving and investing choices.

Merryn Talks Money

Your Questions Answered: Pensions, Capital Gains Tax and More 

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/ef54152a-8b8f-441e-b62a-b4500074d0b0/transcript

Britain’s bond yields are the highest in the G7, as renewed inflation pressures collide with rising defense costs and a government reluctant to make politically painful spending choices. This week, John Stepek is joined by Bloomberg macro strategist Simon White to discuss whether markets will ultimately force Britain’s hand, what Scott Bessent’s interventions mean for US Treasuries and the yen, and whether the AI boom is getting closer to a correction.

Britain&rsquo;s bond yields are the highest in the G7, as renewed inflation pressures collide with rising defense costs and a government reluctant to make politically painful spending choices. This week, John Stepek is joined by Bloomberg macro strategist Simon White to discuss whether markets will ultimately force Britain&rsquo;s hand, what Scott Bessent&rsquo;s interventions mean for US Treasuries and the yen, and whether the AI boom is getting closer to a correction.

Markets Wrap: Bessent's Big Bet, Bond Yields and the AI Bubble

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/c258b03e-6457-4855-a75d-b4c200a6461e/transcript

In this episode of Merryn Talks Money, host Merryn Somerset Webb is joined live at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe by Bloomberg Opinion columnist Adrian Wooldridge, former British ambassador Nick Hopton and Orbis Investment Management Chairman Alec Cutler to ask what Adam Smith can teach us about today's rapidly changing economic order.

The panel considers rising government debt, the growing relationship between states and powerful companies, and whether the AI investment boom could follow the same pattern as previous market bubbles. They also discuss what it all means for investors, from the impact on gold and government bonds to the implications for energy stocks and, specifically for the UK, the future of the North Sea.

In this episode of Merryn Talks Money, host Merryn Somerset Webb is joined live at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe by Bloomberg Opinion columnist Adrian Wooldridge, former British ambassador Nick Hopton and Orbis Investment Management Chairman Alec Cutler to ask what Adam Smith can teach us about today's rapidly changing economic order.
The panel considers rising government debt, the growing relationship between states and powerful companies, and whether the AI investment boom could follow the same pattern as previous market bubbles. They also discuss what it all means for investors, from the impact on gold and government bonds to the implications for energy stocks and, specifically for the UK, the future of the North Sea.

Live From Fringe: What Adam Smith Can Teach Us About Debt and Power

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/ca7873e2-d190-475a-9e4b-b4bf006a95fc/transcript

Host Merryn Somerset Webb is joined by Interactive Investor CEO Richard Wilson,  Anna MacDonald, investment strategy director at Hargreaves Lansdown, and Russell Napier, financial historian and Keeper of the the Library of Mistakes for the second installment of panel discussions at Panmure House during the 2026 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

The panel discussed the state of global bond markets, how policymakers seem incapable of thinking about second-order consequences and the fiscal constraints facing the UK government.

Original Music Composed by Mint Sherbets

Host Merryn Somerset Webb is joined by Interactive Investor CEO Richard Wilson,&nbsp; Anna MacDonald, investment strategy director at Hargreaves Lansdown, and Russell Napier, financial historian and Keeper of the the Library of Mistakes for the second installment of panel discussions at Panmure House during the 2026 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. The panel discussed the state of global bond markets, how policymakers seem incapable of thinking about second-order consequences and the fiscal constraints facing the UK government. Original Music Composed by Mint Sherbets

Live From Fringe: What Adam Smith Would Say of Bond Market Turmoil

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/e64d789d-e254-4802-866c-b4bb0098cbf8/transcript

Your Questions Answered: Pensions, Capital Gains Tax and More

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