Share Sounds.

James Cameron-Wilson takes Simon Rose through the latest UK box office chart, with takings down 9%. Trolls Band Together, the third in the series, is the new #1 with a take of £3m. Martin Scorsese's Killers of the Flower Moon took £2.5m at #2. Majestic, brutal and based on a true story, James found Robert de Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio's acting overshadowed by Lily Gladstone, who is favourite to pick up the Best Actress Oscar. Impressive though the film is he thought it too long at three and a half hours. Watching Barbie again now it's out on DVD/BluRay, James was equally impressed and found many things to enjoy he had missed the first time. He also tells how it is getting around Russia's Hollywood movie ban.

Neil Shah of Edison Group looks at the possible ramifications of the Middle East crisis which, if it continues, could mean higher oil prices, a less optimistic picture for inflation and a boost for safe havens, perhaps with tech stocks stuffering. He points out that it's a binary switch, with the opposite happening if the situation improves. He also talks about the Abrdn UK Smaller Growth Trust. Despite a difficult year, the managers are sticking to their policy of holding quality stocks for the long term. It stands at a 14% discount to asset value and offers a 2.8% yield. There are more details in a note on the Edison website.

Ever the contrarian, Russ Mould of A J Bell wonders why he is getting no questions at the moment about mining shares. They have underperformed growth stocks for a decade or so and it is true they are suffering cost input issues like so many other businesses. However, their balance sheets are pretty healthy, we still need the things they dig out of the ground and the renewables transition will exacerbate this. At some stage, they might come back into favour. However, unless investors have geological expertise, they might be best sticking with the majors.

Steve Caplin delves into the world of tech. The Hoverboard inventor has designed a 2-wheeled balancing car. For £2m, you can get a 15-foot high transforming robot. Driverless taxis are getting harder to hail in San Francisco. There's an AI-powered chicken coop (with Albert Eggstein). There's a crowdfunded ultrasonic kitchen knife. The Swedish Academy Dictionary, started in 1883, is out but with words like "allergy" and "computer" missing. Scientists have discovered that flipping a coin does not, after all, give you a 50/50 result while others have found that the solution to sitting for too long is to go for a walk.

Although it rarely feels like it at the time, stressful and anxious times don't last for ever. Dealing with challenging circumstances or with emotionally-draining issues puts us on edge, as the brain gets focused on what might happen next, and as it struggles to find a way of coping. Adam Cox helps you to build a sense of perspective by drawing on those times when life was — and will be — more settled, and using that experience to find a way through today's strains and stresses.

Adam Cox is joined by Chand Chudasama from Price Bailey Chartered Accountants to explore the issue of the unclear extension of the sunset clauses for EIS (Enterprise Investment Scheme) and VCT (Venture Capital Trust) schemes. These schemes have played a crucial role in fostering the growth of the UK AI Tech industry. Chand sheds light on the concerns that might arise if these schemes were to come to an end and why there's hesitancy in announcing extensions, which is already impacting investments. Additionally, they delve into the potential long-term economic implications of this situation. https://www.pricebailey.co.uk/

Can Elon Musk build a $30,000 EV that everyone wants to drive? Tim Beyers and Deidre Woollard discuss Tesla’s compressing margins, robots with brains and Tesla’s take on the AI universe, and how Netflix is becoming a global television network. Then, 22 minutes in, Deidre Woollard interviews real estate industry insider Greg Robertson on the impact of lawsuits against the National Association of Realtors. Companies discussed: TSLA, NFLX, RDFN, RMAX, HOUS. Host - Deidre Woollard; Guests - Tim Beyers, Greg Robertson

Nearly two years after the initial announcement, Microsoft has completed the largest deal in tech history. Ricky Mulvey and Asit Sharma discuss what got Microsoft across the finish line for its acquisition of Activision Blizzard, an unexpected winner in the deal, the latest memo from Howard Marks, “Further Thoughts on Sea Change”, and the case for credit investing, and a bond fund yielding 9%. Plus, 15 minutes in, Robert Brokamp and Alison Southwick answer listener questions about money market funds, 401(k) rollovers, and automated investing. Companies/Funds mentioned: MSFT, LULU, USHY. Hosts - Ricky Mulvey, Alison Southwick; Guests - Asit Sharma, Robert Brokamp

Wages are up, but inflation is — the same. What does it all mean for mortgage rates, the state pension, benefits and the economy generally? One thing we know won’t be affected by the latest figure is income tax bands. Just how much is the big freeze – AKA fiscal drag - going to cost us? That’s on the agenda for Simon Lambert, Lee Boyce and Georgie Frost this week as the latest CPI reading stuck at 6.7%. At the start of the year, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak set the target to halve inflation by the end of 2023. And it was looking promising. But this latest inflation figures might have thrown a bit of spanner into the works. What’s going on at Royal Mail? Some households say they are only receiving their post once a week. Hospital appointment letters, birthday cards, parcels and important bills have all gone missing in delays caused by a staffing crisis. In Brighton, households say they’re receiving mail as infrequently as just once a fortnight. Picking an estate agent to sell your home is so important. A good agent will make finding your buyer seem like a breeze. Choose the wrong one and it can cause untold stress, drag the whole process out and you could end up being forced to reduce your asking price and ultimately sell for less. So how do you pick a good ‘un? And just what is gazundering – and why is it back with a vengeance? The new Tesla Model 3 arrives on our fair shores in January - but how much will it cost and is it any good? If it proves to be out of your budget range what about Citroen's new e-C3, set to start from around £17,000. And — range anxiety is real: so would you take an EV on a continental road trip? Paul Barker, motoring journalist of decades, gave it a go and diarised it for you.

There's a rising crescendo of concern over HM Treasury's decision to leave tax thresholds frozen at current levels until 2028. At a time of high inflation, it particularly bears down on low- and middle-income earners, and itself keeps inflation higher for longer. Several suggestions have been made for alternative ways to sort out the public finances, not least in these Share Radio commentaries, but there's no indication of any willingness to sit down and talk: like an ostrich, heads are firmly in the sand. Background music 'The Nexus Riddim' by Konrad OldMoney