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UK Chancellor Jeremy Hunt sets out his Budget for growth. This is the unabridged recording, direct from the House of Commons on 15th March 2023.

Inflation data and the state of play in the banking industry has investors wondering: What will the Fed decide next week about interest rates? Jason Moser and Matt Argersinger discuss First Republic getting $30 billion in deposits from 11 major banks, the latest CPI and PPI numbers continuing the trend of cooling inflation, whether the Federal Reserve should raise rates next week (and if so, by how much) or hit the pause button, and the latest from FedEx, Adobe, Lennar, and Williams-Sonoma. Then, 19 minutes in, John Ourand from Sports Business Journal and the "Sports Media Podcast" analyzes the economics of March Madness, why he's bullish on the upcoming MLB season, and Disney CEO Bob Iger's latest thinking on ESPN. Also, 32 minutes in, Matt and Jason discuss Google raising the price of YouTube TV and share two stocks on their radar: Charles Schwab and Zebra Technologies. Stocks discussed: SIVB, FRC, BAC, JPM, WFC, C, PNC, MTB, FDX, ADBE, LEN, WSM, FOX, WBD, PARA, DIS, AMZN, AAPL, GOOG, GOOGL, SCHW, ZBRA. Host - Chris Hill; Guests - Jason Moser, Matt Argersinger, John Ourand

Investors cheered the steadily improving inflation story. Jason Moser and Matt Argersinger discuss how the current macro environment is what the Fed was aiming for, JP Morgan Chase and Wells Fargo starting earnings season in a strong way, Boeing's latest production challenge, key takeaways from Andy Jassy's shareholder letter, and Warner Bros Discovery's confusing rebrand of HBO Max. Then, at 19 minutes in, Motley Fool senior analyst Tim Beyers weighs in on how board games and video games are finding success on the big screen, the future of movie theaters, and why "YouTube has an uncommon amount of power right now." Finally, 34 minutes in, Jason and Matt share two stocks on their radar: Airbnb and T. Rowe Price. Stocks discussed: JPM, WFC, BA, AMZN, WMT, WBD, HAS, DIS, NFLX, AAPL, CMCSA, GOOG, GOOGL, ABNB, TROW. Host - Chris Hill; Guests - Matt Argersinger, Jason Moser, Tim Beyers

The Federal Reserve has raised interest rates 10 times since 2022. But you probably wouldn’t notice those hikes in a traditional savings account. Dylan Lewis caught up with Robert Brokamp to discuss how banks benefit from your inertia, and how that costs you, ideas for managing cash for the next few weeks, months, and years, money market funds paying more than 4%, and the caveats to understand before utilizing those accounts, and who can benefit from I Bonds and less-liquid savings vehicles. Website mentioned: https://www.fool.com/the-ascent/ Host - Dylan Lewis; Guest - Robert Brokamp

Jeremy Hunt had a spring in his step this week as he delivered his Budget. It was a considerably different air to the gloomy warning of trouble ahead in his November Autumn Statement. The headline act was a major shake-up of pension saving rules, removing restrictions that limit the amount that can go in without tax penalties. The lifetime allowance was abolished rather than raised, the annual allowance got a big bump, and rules to stop pension recycling were eased. Was this a bung for the rich shovelling cash into their pension - and doctors - or a move that will help many more young professional savers aspiring to a decent retirement, who may not realise the lifetime limit could be hit? Georgie Frost, Helen Crane and Simon Lambert delve into the Budget and joining them to explain the pensions element is a special guest, This is Money's retirement columnist and ex-pensions minister Steve Webb. Also in the Budget was news on the economy, a ray of hope on energy bills, and a big expansion of free childcare... but it won't come in for some time. The team look at all those elements and more. And finally, as the Budget claimed the headlines something else was rumbling on: a mini-banking crisis sparked by the Sillicon Valley Bank collapse. What is going on there and should we be worried?

And there it was, another interest rate hike. Another quarter point move up seems almost commonplace now, but cast your mind back to the era after the financial crisis and we had to wait nearly ten years for the base rate to climb above its 0.5% 'emergency level'. It cut first and then base rate got all the way to the heady heights of 0.75%, before it was cut again when Covid hit. Yet, less than 18 months since the Bank of England started raising rates in December 2021, base rate has rocketed from 0.1% to 4.5%. The rate itself is still relatively low in historic terms, but the magnitude of the rise is not. So, are the Bank's ratesetters right to keep voting for hikes, has the full pain been felt yet, and why would you do this when all the forecasts suggest inflation is soon to nosedive? Georgie Frost, Tanya Jefferies and Simon Lambert discuss the latest rate rise and how high interest rates will go. Plus, is the return of the 100% mortgage absolute madness, a helping hand for trapped renters, or something in the middle of all that? Why people should claim pension credit or help their friends or relatives? And finally, not only will it lack the crisp one-liners of Succession, but an inheritance drama is not something you want to get into, so how can people avoid one?

Democracy is a great blessing, but it has a major Achilles Heel — it is not good at coping with all the long-term issues which are growing in number and importance. Trying to address long- and short-term issues together without specific definition will always handicap the former. That's why Princess Anne focused correctly on this challenge in her interview with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation — but monarchy can do little more than draw attention to the problem, which needs constitutional and political resolution. We propose a way forward out of this dilemma, suggesting how the United Kingdom can set a course for the democracies of the world to follow. Background music: 'Saving the World' by Aaron Kenny Image source: BBC Research, based on National Archives Federal Reserve Economic Data

'Stop the boats' calls the UK Prime Minister, but there's no linking of his short-term strategy to the big global issues which are driving migration: conflict, poverty and climate change. That's why the Archbishop of Canterbury called for a new approach in the House of Lords last Wednesday, seeking to tackle the causes rather than just the symptoms, and calling for a long-term perspective to address these challenges. This episode contains his full speech in parliament. Background music: 'Freedom' by Dan Lebowitz

For the past 250 years, starting with Adam Smith, there have been valiant attempts to set out principles for taxation: but they have been principally domestic, and with no attempt to address inter-generational rebalancing. Without specific provisions requiring hypothecation of inheritance levies it's hard to see how disadvantaged young people can be empowered with resources and life skills so that all may share in future wealth creation. Don't expect change in this week's Budget, but the Treasury Select Committee should look again at the principles they established over ten years ago. Background music: 'Dark Alley Deals' by Aaron Kenny

The first SHARE conference in Cambridge last Friday provided much food for thought, and comments particularly drew attention to the need for widespread understanding of stock ownership if 'Stock for Data' is to take hold. In financial terms and because equity stock in companies is a surrogate for human enterprise, earnings from capital growth and dividends massively outperform bonds and cash over the long term; meanwhile stock owners have a key role in contributing to the governance of their companies, as employee shareownership has shown. All this needs straightforward and intelligible communication. Background music: 'Communicator' by Reed Mathis