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Victoria Scholar of Interactive Investor talks to Simon Rose about why markets have been so buoyant despite aggressive monetary tightening from the US Federal Reserve. UK markets are lagging ahead of next week's MPC decision but earnings from commodity companies like Shell and Centrica were buoyant. Not so the reaction to results from either Barclays Bank or challenger Metro. Drinks giant Diagio is weathering the inflationary environment well, showing a bit shift to low- and no-alcohol drinks while ITV pleased investors with how well it is doing.

James Cameron-Wilson tells Simon Rose of a bump in the box office as the weather cools. Minions is the new #1 with Where The Crawdads Sing arriving at #3, taking £1.3m. Based on the best-selling novel, James found it beautiful but ultimately rather disappointing. At #6 is the one NT Live showing of Jodie Comer in her one-woman play Prima Facie. James's DVD of the month is the Japanese award-winner Drive My Car, which he found a mesmerising and genuine original unlike anything else. Not so Netflix's action thrller The Gray Man with Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans, which he found OTT and wildly improbable.

Tech maven Steve Caplin tells Simon Rose about the chess robot that broke a 7-year-old opponent's finger. There's also an explanation of why Hammersmith Bridge was wrapped in foil, a hydrofoil creating hydrogen, the privacy dangers of TikTok, why BMW owners need to pay more for heated seats, an e-Jerry can if you run out of charge and serving court papers using non-fungible tokens.

Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak are both understandably focused on the UK economy, challenged by massive public debt and soaring inflation, but who will tackle the 'elephant in the room' of the gargantuan health and social care budget, which has resulted from seventy years addiction to socialist universality? We update our proposal first made in June 2018, since when the cost per adult of health and social care has doubled. Background music: 'Addicted' by VYEN

Financial independence and retiring early sounds great, but could you sacrifice enough of your spending to get there? The so-called FIRE movement ('Financial Independence Retire Early') involves living a frugal live, saving as much of your income as possible – 50% or more – and investing to build a pot to retire early on. Ideally, this needs to be 25 times your annual spending requirements, so that you can follow the 4% rule on how much of your pot you spend each year. Advocates of financial independence will tell you that this requires giving up much of our modern-day consumer lifestyle but that it’s worth it in the end, as they can then live their lives on their own terms. Could you do this and would Georgie Frost, Lee Boyce and Simon Lambert be able to stomach the hardcore budgeting and saving it requires? The team discuss financial independence, its attractions and the drawbacks of getting there. And don't miss our second special bonus podcast this week, where Simon speaks Barney Whiter, of The Escape Artist blog, who helps others to try to achieve the same financial independence he has. Also, inheritance tax is catching more people in its net; what can you do about that and is it time for the tax to change? Plus, why inflation is causing problems for the national debt (now £2.4 trillion) and should a reader use a £60,000 sum sitting in a low rate cash Isa to pay off some of their mortgage?

Tesla's profits surprise Wall Street, and Amazon buys 1Life Healthcare for $3.9 billion. Bill Mann discusses Tesla's margins being compressed and STILL being the envy of rival automakers, how Tesla is (and isn't) comparable to Netflix, and Amazon using "pocket change" to make its 3rd-largest acquisition. Also, Jason Hall and Matt Frankel engage in a "Bull vs. Bear" debate over Lemonade, and both wish the AI-drive insurance company would hurry up and close its acquisition of micro-cap auto insurance company Metromile. Stocks mentioned: TSLA, F, NFLX AMZN, ONEM, LMND, MILE. Host - Chris Hill; Guests - Bill Mann, Jason Hall, Matt Frankel

Turns out Netflix did NOT lose 2 million subscribers as previously predicted (Only 970,000). Tim Beyers discusses the market's relief that 2nd-quarter results for Netflix were "less bad", why Microsoft shareholders have a stake in Netflix's success, and Twitter winning the first round in its legal battle with Elon Musk. Also, Ricky Mulvey and Catie Peiper discuss how entertainment companies have dealt with rough economic situations in the past (and how they could respond in the current environment), and preview this year's San Diego Comic-Con! Stocks mentioned: NFLX, MSFT, TWTR, DIS, WBD, AMZN. Host - Chris Hill; Guests - Tim Beyers, Catie Peiper

For those who have smoked for years, it can join many of other daily actions in becoming almost automatic in certain situations or circumstances. If you're resolved to give it up, it's therefore a good idea to try to break these neural pathways so that the subconscious no longer reaches for a cigarette without thinking. Adam Cox uses a technique called 'staged disassociation' to interrupt these pathways and help to remove those historical triggers.

Russ Mould of A J Bell talks to Simon Rose about the ECB rate hike, bigger than expected in an effort to tackle inflation. He points out that there are 19 different inflation rates to consider and wonders how one interest rate can satisfy the requirements of so many countries. Are they, and other central banks, increasing rates into a possible recession? He also looks at the cost-of-living indicators for the UK and the latest capital raising exercise from cruise ship operator Carnival, a company, he feels, which may suffer if discretionary spending is cut back.

James Cameron-Wilson looks at the UK box office, wilting 52% in the heat. The Railway Children Return only managed #6 with £365,000 but James found the moving story overcame an unduly modern presentation. At #16 is Spanish Goya award triumph The Good Boss with Javier Bardem in arthouse cinemas and on Curzon Home Video. On Netflix, Persuasion is a funny and moving modern take on Austen.