Share Sounds. presented by Motley Fool Money

If you want to maximize the value of your home for decades, you might update the kitchen. But if your time frame is one week, then you might burn down the house. Brendan Ballou is a federal prosecutor and special counsel at the Department of Justice, where he led the antitrust division’s work on private equity. He's also authored a new book, “Plunder, Private Equity’s Plan to Pillage America.” Ricky Mulvey caught up with him to talk about the techniques many private equity companies use to generate short-term returns, a key misunderstanding about the fall of in-person retailers, and Private Equity’s impact on medical billing, bakeries, and insurance. Companies discussed: CG, KKR, BX. Host - Ricky Mulvey; Guest - Brendan Ballou

For the first time in a while, Facebook's parent company gave shareholders reason to smile. Bill Mann discusses Meta Platforms starting the fiscal year with a bang, the Reality Labs division posting an operating loss of (gulp) $4 billion, and the current state of regional banks and the magic word he's seeing appear in the financial media. Then, 14 minutes in — how much of a threat is ChatGPT to Google's business? In this excerpt from the most recent episode of the Stock Advisor Roundtable podcast, Brian Stoffel talks with artificial intelligence expert Hamza Lebbar and Motley Fool CEO Tom Gardner. Companies discussed: META, GOOG, GOOGL. Host - Chris Hill. Guests - Bill Mann, Brian Stoffel, Hamza Lebbar, Tom Gardner

How hard will Microsoft and Activision-Blizzard fight to appeal the decision by UK regulators? Bill Barker discusses Microsoft's strong 3rd-quarter results being overshadowed, the $3 billion breakup fee Microsoft is now likely to have to pay, and Chipotle shares hitting a new all-time high after 1st-quarter profits were much higher than Wall Street was expecting. Also, 16 minutes in and as businesses look to cut costs, what does that mean for cloud spending? Tim Beyers and Tim White take a closer look at Amazon Web Services. Companies discussed: MSFT, ATVI, SONY, NTDOY, CMG, AMZN, DDOG, ORCL, IBM. Host - Chris Hill. Guests - Bill Barker, Tim Beyers, Tim White

As earnings season heats up in the U.S., investors had good reasons to keep their eyes on China and India. Andy Cross and Jason Moser discuss Tesla's challenge with margin pressure, Intuitive Surgical's stock rising on strong 1st-quarter results and guidance, American Express continuing to catch on with Millennials and Gen Z, shares of D.R. Horton, America's largest homebuilder, hitting a new all-time high, and the latest from Netflix, P&G, Johnson & Johnson, and Lululemon. Then, 19 minutes in, Motley Fool senior analyst Bill Mann discusses China's rise as an automotive exporter, Apple's growing presence in India, and why he's keeping an eye on mining companies in Brazil. Finally, 33 minutes in, Andy and Jason discuss the growing business of tiny snacks and share two stocks on their radar: Tractor Supply and Amazon. Stocks discussed: NFLX, TSLA, ISRG, PG, AXP, JNJ, DHI, LULU, AAPL, GIS, TWNK, PEP, TSCO, AMZN. Host - Chris Hill; Guests - Andy Cross, Jason Moser, Bill Mann

What do you wish you knew when you were just starting out investing? Jason Moser discusses Roblox sharing its last batch of monthly metrics, why the company still has a "glass half-full valuation", and thoughts for a relatively new investor with decades of investing ahead. And at 17 minutes in, Asit Sharma talks with Bill Burns, CEO of Zebra Technologies, about the business of barcodes and robots in fulfillment centers. Companies discussed: RBLX, ZBRA. Host - Chris Hill; Guests - Jason Moser, Asit Sharma, Bill Burns

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

A survey from Lending Tree found that a majority of Americans thought investing was just as risky as gambling. And sure, the stock market can be a casino, but it doesn’t have to be. Anand Chokkavelu and Ricky Mulvey discuss the lines between gambling and investing, and when they get blurry, games that Wall Street traders play, positive/negative sum games, and how to know the difference, and how Uncle Sam helps investors more than gamblers. Host - Ricky Mulvey; Guest - Anand Chokkavelu

If you clean out your closet once in a while, consider doing the same with your investment portfolio. Ron Gross and Jason Moser discuss stocks investors should consider trimming like hedges, two stocks to throw out altogether, stocks that spark joy (a la Marie Kondo), investments poised for a comeback, why Visa, Mastercard, and Berkshire-Hathaway are good stocks for a rainy day, and actual cleaning tips! Then, 19 minutes in, Motley Fool senior analyst Bill Mann talks with Howard Marks, co-founder of Oaktree Capital Management, about China’s effect on inflation in the U.S. and the winners and losers in a world of higher interest rates. Stocks discussed: FIVE, DG, DLTR, OLLI, ZG, UA, COST, CDNS, XBI, PYPL, SQ, BRK, V, MA. Host - Chris Hill; Guests - Jason Moser, Ron Gross, Bill Mann, Howard Marks

There are no style points in investing, and big brands continue to dominate teen spending habits. Dylan Lewis and Nick Sciple discuss Piper Sandler’s Generation Z survey about brands and spending, tailwinds for Ulta Beauty, Spotify, and Nike, investing in resale companies, and how the competitive landscape shifted for upstart brands. Also, 11 minutes in, Ricky Mulvey and Sanmeet Deo look at two health trends for investors to watch. Companies discussed: NKE, SPOT, LULU, ULTA, WINA, TSX: ATZ, LTH, XPOF. Host - Dylan Lewis; Guests - Nick Sciple, Sanmeet Deo

The NASDAQ rose 17% in the 1st quarter, but we're not popping champagne just yet. Ron Gross and Matt Argersinger discuss new inflation data and real estate concerns in Silicon Valley, why they're watching company margins and guidance updates over the next few weeks, Disney shutting down its metaverse division, Lululemon's (unsurprising) write-down of Mirror, and the latest from Walgreens, RH, and McCormick. Plus, 19 minutes in, Brad Stone, head of Bloomberg's global tech coverage, weighs in on the state of affairs at Amazon, whether Jeff Bezos will return as CEO, and what to watch in the growing industry of AI and ChatGPT. Then, 33 minutes in, Matt and Ron discuss Moderna's prospects, Pepsi's new logo, and share two stocks on their radar: ERP Properties and Wesco International. To get your copy of Motley Fool's free report "Top Stocks For Rising Interest Rates" just go to fool.com/interest. Stocks discussed: DIS, META, LULU, WBA, RH, MKC, AMZN, GOOG, MRNA, PEP, EPR, WCC. Host - Chris Hill; Guests - Ron Gross, Matt Argersinger, Brad Stone