Share Sounds from Thought for the Week related to Shares

Dame Julia Hoggett is Chief Executive of the London Stock Exchange, and featured in a half-page interview in The Sunday Times Business last weekend. She is a strong advocate for encouraging personal share ownership, which demonstrates clearly how a sense of responsibility builds from individual ownership: this is also particularly evident in employee share ownership. The correlation between ownership and responsibility at an individual level throughout society needs to be more fully understood and supported by business and politicians. Background music: 'Waiting' by Andrew Langdon

Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, has called for an overhaul of copyright legislation to recognise the broad span of human creativity. It is indeed time to re-align the balance between sharing knowledge and ring-fencing ownership, but the quid pro quo is to provide mass participation in the wealth creation made possible by Generative Artificial Intelligence. John Maynard Keynes' experience of the two world wars of the 20th century showed how complacent attitudes amongst the wealthy led to these tragedies, and Gillian Tett has drawn a parallel with today's cocktail of globalisation, capitalism and rapid technological development. The Achilles' heel is still acute wealth polarisation, but mass participation could provide a way forward. Background music: 'Intellect' by Yung Logos

While Hargreaves Lansdowne accepts an outcome driven by Private Equity, Abrdn attempts to shrug off the high price it paid for buying its retail investment platform from Private Equity. The short-term and intensely finance-based motivation of that sector achieves a real contrast between its entry and exit pricing, notwithstanding the damage it does to public markets. That short-term focus has also denied a strategic transition to global retail investment platforms capable of supporting widespread global stock ownership in the years ahead; although the parochial nature of investment regulation and antiquated technology also conspire against making that transition. Employee share ownership has made that change, and its workplace solutions could set the template for individual stock ownership across the world. Background music: 'Everything Has a Beginning' by Joel Cummins

The Bank of England has sounded its strongest warnings yet of the danger to financial stability from Private Equity, and the London Evening Standard simultaneously reported the serious attrition of London Stock Exchange trading activity. We explain the close connection between these, and call for a more global perspective. It's important that both Finance and Government rise to this challenge, so that the United Kingdom can continue to provide a leading role in the development of the global manifesto for which we called on 2nd January. Background music: 'Dark Alley Deals' by Aaron Kenny

The shining towers and ivory walls of the City of London — many of our financial trials and tribulations can be traced back to October 1986, when the clear distinction between self-interest and acting in the interests of customers was abruptly brought to an end in the 'Big Bang'. Among those who saw it all happen was legendary market-maker Brian Winterflood MBE, who died on 29th June. His financial legacy, built over sixty years in the City, is massive. Background music: 'Communicator' by Reed Mathis

Andrew Griffith MP, Economic Secretary to HM Treasury, wants to see a greater appetite for risk to encourage investment in British business. It's good to hear such a positive approach, but let's make it quoted-equity focused; debt and private equity are not the way forward for long-term success. Background music: 'The Nexus Riddim' by Konrad OldMoney

Dire warnings about the damage from climate change, plus the war in Ukraine, mean that we need to wean ourselves quickly off fossil fuels. However the investment markets are very slow in re-aligning opportunities in quoted investment markets: personal investors need to be able to invest in massive renewable energy projects such as Xlinks, but private equity and institutions have got in there first. We need a thorough overhaul of the investable energy sector to provide socially acceptable alternatives to fossil fuels. Background music: 'Boundless Energy' by Nate Blaze

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

At first sight the challenges facing TikTok and John Lewis appear very different. For the former, it's the risk of being denied access to much of the free world as regulators clamp down over concerns of it becoming a major security threat. For the latter, John Lewis's need to raise investment is threatening the partnership which staff and customers hold in such high regard. These very different problems could, however, both be solved by applying customer stock ownership — in TikTok's case, in return for the immense wealth creation made possible by data harvesting; in John Lewis's case, in return for that £2 billion which they urgently need to update their business model. In each case, disintermediation leading towards a more egalitarian form of capitalism. Background music: 'On Hold' by Silent Partner

The huge take-up of ChatGPT over recent weeks has brought the challenge of Artificial Intelligence into sharp relief. As the Chief Executive of its creator, OpenAI, said in one of his blogs, 'Artificial Intelligence will bring unimaginable wealth but, unless something changes, most of us will get none of it. We need a radical solution'. Conventional wisdom sees Universal Basic Income as the way through this dilemma, but this will only bring us more state intermediation and human subservience. We can put forward a better solution, by enabling all to share in the wealth that technology brings and to play their part in its future governance. Background music: 'Digital Solitude' by Silent Partner