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The future of the metaverse is murky, even if its present technical challenges are clear. But there may be a few trillion reasons why investors should keep their eyes on this new frontier. Venture capitalist Matthew Ball is author of the upcoming book, “The Metaverse: And How It Will Revolutionize Everything.” Asit Sharma talks with him about the technical challenges in bringing the metaverse to life, a murky future for all involved, and why Nike may have meaningful exposure to the metaverse To learn more, click here - https://www.fool.com/investing/stock-market/market-sectors/information-technology/metaverse-stocks/what-is-the-metaverse/

James Cameron-Wilson explains that all existing films saw a box office collapse in the warm weather while new #1 Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness steamrollered all before it with a £19.8m opening. The new Downton film saw a 50% collapse in box office and all other films suffered a worse fate. With only one new film, James quizzed Simon on his knowledge of the film actresses in the top 20 inflation-adjusted winners at the UK box office. How would you fare in answering these?

Victoria Scholar of Interactive Investor talks to Simon Rose about the latest UK GDP figures and the pound hitting a 2-year low. She discusses the sell-off in tech stocks around the world and the switch to value shares and those which provide decent dividend yields. She points out that Apple has lost its crown as the world's most valuable company to Saudi Aramco and takes a brief look at the plunge in crypto that debunks the idea Bitcoin might be an inflation hedge.

Political commentator Mike Indian looks at the Queen's Speech, with the Queen herself absent. What was in it and what wasn't? He also discusses the Government's response to the growing cost-of-living crisis before turning to the recent local election results and what they might mean for the three main political parties. Lastly, he turns to Northern Ireland, where Sinn Fein emerged as the largest party; dos their success increase the prospect of a united Ireland?

Steve Caplin talks to Simon Rose about the latest tech news. After 21 years, Apple are discontinuing the iPod, the UK is to launch a satellite from Newquay, Mercedes' new electric car will go 1,000km on one charge, the Italians are producing a hydrofoil which will dive down 50 metres, smart screws will detect if they're coming loose in bridges, wind turbines and the like, the Dutch are making cracklier chocolate, there's a crowdfunded inflatable tent and solar table and a prototype app could detect the early stages of Alzheimer's Disease.

Will Johnny go marching home, after this awful set of mid-term elections for the Conservatives? He has the intelligence needed to steer this country forward, as he's shown with both Brexit and the Covid-19 vaccine strategy. However, he has a major handicap: he not only lacks a firm foundation in Conservative values, but he's also prone to falling foul of the cult of personality. As he can't seem to get to grips with this handicap, the Conservative Parliamentary Party should take steps to build a new leadership to move it forwards, closely aligned to its core values. Background music: 'Johnny comes marching home' by Cooper Cannell

More than 40 years after Margaret Thatcher introduced Right to Buy, the current Prime Minister is considering plans to revamp the scheme. Could it unleash a home buying revolution and help give a much needed boost to the Government, or is it a bad idea rehashing an old scheme? This week, Simon Lambert, Lee Boyce and Georgie Frost discuss the plans, how it could work and why it may be unleashed in the near future. Would it be unfair to private renters? With ever increasing property prices, would people be able to purchase them? And what are the current Right to Buy rules? It's safe to say that green bonds, launched by National Savings and Investments last year, have been a damp squib. Rates on them are low, and a three-year fix is a relatively niche product. Just how far have they missed the mark and could the rate head higher again to make them more attractive? On the other hand, Premium Bonds continue to be an incredibly popular way to save. The two jackpot winners this month had huge sums held in them – is that the only chance you have of winning a £1million, maxing out the holdings? There are calls to claim your pension credit – nearly one million people are missing out on extra cash and 'the door to more,' by not taking advantage. Could you, or someone you know, benefit? The Bank of England celebrates 25 years of independence – we ask whether New Labour's gamble of making it independent has paid off, just as it hikes base rate to a 13-year high of 1%. Meanwhile, Lee reveals details of a new This is Money columnist signing – businessman Dave Fishwick is ready to take your business and careers questions – find out how you can contact him.

Busy week for investors as the April jobs report came two days after the Federal Reserve raised interest rates a half-percent. Ron Gross and Jason Moser discuss pitfalls and potential for stock investors, rocky times for e-commerce companies Etsy, Shopify, and Wayfair, Booking Holdings and Marriott leading the travel industry, AMD defying expectations, Under Armour hitting an 11-year low, and the latest from Zillow, Block, and Starbucks. Plus, at 19 minutes in, Malcolm Ethridge, CFP and host of “The Tech Money Podcast”, weighs in on the Nasdaq selloff and the potential for commercial real estate. He also offers a sneak preview of his upcoming book! Finally, Jason and Ron discuss a new breakfast innovation and share two stocks on their radar: Outset Medical and Domino’s Pizza.

When the process of losing weight is hard work, small lapses can lead to an unsuccessful outcome: the short-term gratification that one gets from those lapses can often lead to losing the main purpose. This episode aims to make the process of losing weight a joy rather than doing something you hate, in a way that you hate. In other words, don't so much lose weight to be happy, but be happy losing weight.

Russ Mould of A J Bell looks at the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee decision to raise interest rates to 1% with a statement dampening some expectations for future sharp rises. He asks if the MPC (and the Fed) have painted themselves into a corner and wonders whether more debt should have been the answer to a debt crisis. Indeed, can 9 people in a room, however smart and well-intentioned, really set the price of money? As always, he offers advice for investors about what lies ahead.