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Professor Tim Evans of Middlesex University asks if the IMF is fit for purpose in a world where power and wealth are moving east and where there are now competitors such as China? With Africa due to be home to 40% of humanity by the end of the century, he discusses the remarkable Megalopolis of coastal west Africa, one of the continent's great success stories. And as California is set to overtake Germany in the list of the world's largest economies, he considers why we can't emulate it in the UK.

Laith Khalaf of A J Bell tells Simon Rose that, to a large extent, normality has been restored to financial markets since Rishi Sunak becamse Prime Minister. Although the Autumn Statement has been delayed to November 17, the markets appear not be too concerned. Laith explains what the markets are expecting when the MPC meets next week and advises investors to keep an eye on bonds, which – although not beating inflation – are considerably more interesting than a year ago.

Share Radio's technology editor Steve Caplin talks to Simon Rose about Elon Musk and Twitter, the arrival of magnetic north in the UK, a new data speed record, a robot falcon, how to defeat self-driving cars, the tiniest of tiny TVs, a self-boiling Thermos flask and how Google hopes to develop AI for the top 1,000 (out of 7,000) languages worldwide.

For those searching for a long-term investment perspective risk and volatility are big issues: and there's no better example of that rollercoaster ride than crypto-currencies. Adam Cox has chosen to focus this episode on Bitcoin due to its reputation for major swings in value — but it applies just as well to major asset sectors such as property and stocks. The fact is that cash left on deposit at a time of high inflation erodes real value just like a leaky bath: so it's important to come to terms with asset risk and not to suffer 'analysis paralysis'. Adam's time machine and rollercoaster analogy might help.

Adam Cox is joined by Richard Sager, General Manager at NIO Cocktails, to discuss how the fun of going out can still be experienced at home using cocktail delivery services. Richard explains how NIO Cocktails work, and what sort of drinks are on offer. https://niococktails.co.uk/

Adam Cox is joined by Will Rice, Founder & CEO of Generation Home, to discuss the recent uncertainty and turmoil within mortgages in the last few weeks, and how Gen H are helping to make owning a home more accessible. They talk about why it is better to loan a deposit, rather than gift it, and what deals are out there for first time buyers. https://www.generationhome.com/

The biggest tech companies reported this week, but it was Apple that shined the brightest. Jason Moser and Matt Argersinger discuss the diversity and strength of Apple's business lines, slowing growth in Amazon Web Services, Meta Platforms hitting its lowest point in 6 years, Ford Motor's demonstration of fiscal discipline, the latest from Alphabet, Microsoft, and Visa. Also, 19 minutes in, Jason and Matt continue the earnings analysis and discuss ExxonMobil and McDonald's hitting new highs, Chipotle's plans for growth, surprisingly strong weeks for Teladoc Health and Intel, over-rated and under-rated Halloween candy, and two stocks on their radar: SiTime Corp. and Lennox International. Stocks mentioned: AAPL, AMZN, META, GOOG, GOOGL, V, MSFT, F, XOM, TDOC, INTC, CMG, MCD, LII, SITM, TSM. Host - Chris Hill; Guests - Matt Argersinger, Jason Moser

On a day when Shopify and Comcast gave shareholders reasons for hope, Meta Platforms slid to its lowest level since 2016. Andy Cross discusses Meta's worrisome R&D spending metric, low expectations helping to fuel Shopify's rise, and Comcast beating tough quarterly comps, thanks in part to the Minions. Also, Ricky Mulvey talks with Scott Ford, CEO of WestRock, a "brand behind the brands" coffee business serving up 20 million cups a day. Companies discussed: META, SHOP, CMCSA, WEST. Host - Chris Hill; Guest - Andy Cross, Scott Ford.

The tense situation between tenants and landlords is escalating: the former have seen rents spiral but the latter have faced a big jump in costs jump too. Meanwhile regulation has become a bugbear between the two sides, is there not enough of it or too much? What can be done to improve things in the rental market and have we come down too hard on buy-to-let? That’s the question asked on this week’s episode, as Georgie Frost, Helen Crane and Simon Lambert debate the problems in the rental market. But before that, it’s time for Rishi Sunak. He was once the Chancellor tasked with calming our nerves during the pandemic, but now Rishi is the Prime Minister expected to settle things down after a bout of financial chaos. Will he be able to pull that off, soothe jittery markets, navigate Britain through a painful cost of living crisis winter, and somehow please the nation while taking money off people instead of dishing it out? The team look at what Prime Minister Rishi could mean compared to Chancellor Rishi – and what the implications for our finances could be. Also on the agenda, there was good news for savers from NS&I this week, as rates were raised across the board, but they can get better deals elsewhere, so what should they do? Plus, what can you do to track down old pension pots and why is John Lewis annoying its loyal credit card customers?

Following the past few turbulent weeks on stock markets, the launch of a new training course called ‘Investing Basics’ by the UK society for individual shareowners 'ShareSoc' comes at a good time. It will both remind seasoned investors of good practice, and help newbies understand the dynamics of the markets and the potential for good investment. After setting the scene for a fresh look at investing prospects, we invite you to find the links to the ten-video series here, via the webpage version of our Thought for this Week. Share Radio webpage for full commentary and links (incl. the videos): https://www.shareradio.co.uk/thinkingaloud/newsletters/comment-wc-2022-10-31/ Background music: 'Dark Alley Deals' by Aaron Kenny