Share Sounds.

Deal-making is back, and the banks are loving it. Asit Sharma and Ricky Mulvey discuss why Bank of America’s $1.5 billion in net charge-offs can be forgiven by investors, a long comeback for wealth management at Merrill Lynch, and IMAX’s cash flow story and the future of movie theaters. Plus, 16 minutes in, Alison Southwick and Robert Brokamp answer listener questions about tracking investments, leveraged shares, and life insurance. Stocks/tickers mentioned: BAC, MS, IMAX, AMZU, NVDU, SOXL. Host - Ricky Mulvey; Guests - Asit Sharma, Robert Brokamp, Alison Southwick

Young people often find coping with tough decisions, or being evaluated, challenging. Adam Cox taps into the qualities of Messi to show that they can be emulated — a strong work ethic, the courage to make tough decisions, resilience to bounce back from failures: he explains how to connect with these, and how to use them as an anchor. The episode could help young people approaching exam season, or experiencing tough times at school.

How long before inflation reaches 2% — and could record rainfall send food prices soaring? The new ISA comes in, but will your bank provide access? Plus — Georgie Frost, Simon Lambert and Angharad Carrick discuss how much supermarkets charge for a bag, and what they get out of it. Also — Woodford is back ...

Neil Shah of Edison Group looks at the 1st quarter trading update from Foxton's which, with a new management team, is undergoing a turnaround. It's a great brand, underpinned by good IT and data. It is a stable business (particularly lettings) with low risk on the downside which might have a great upside if press comments about it being sold are borne out. More esoteric is the Seraphim Space Investment Trust, which invests in companies exposed to the space industry, where the private sector is bringing down the cost of launching items into space. The price has risen, boosted to some extent by the prospect of increased defence spending. But the portfolio is maturing and profitability is coming through from many of its investments. It's a way to get exposure to space through a team of experts.

James Cameron-Wilson welcomes a 7% kick in the box office. #1 is Sam Taylor-Johnson's Amy Winehouse biopic Back to Black with Marisa Abela giving a stunning performance, celebrating her talent while not shying from depicting the reality of addiction. Although James rarely cries in movies, he was exceptionally moved by the film and loved it. He was also impressed by #2 Civil War, a dystopian USA-set thriller that is realistic and timely. An amazing and riveting film which is a great piece of cinema, he feels writer/director Alex Garland is one of our greatest filmmakers. On Netflix, he found Scoop, about Prince Andrew's ill-fated TV interview, to be a cross between The Crown and Spitting Image. He thought it engrossing but had trouble suspending disbelief.

Steve Caplin on the latest tech. VW have developed a kangaroo scarer for cars. A home security device can fire paintballs or tear gas. There's a three-legged robot for asteroid mineral extraction, a two-legged humanoid that can be trained remotely and a drone that can hop on one leg. Skateboards can now be propelled by an expensive broomstick-like device. The Post Office can't tell if its own stamps are counterfeit or not. A crow near a police station can imitate two types of siren. And Elon Music wants to send 1,000 rockets to colonise Mars.

Political commentator Mike Indian discusses the latest delay in the Rwanda Bill, asking if the flights will ever get off the ground. In the light of Iran's drone and missile attack, he wonders how much influence the UK has, or should seek to exert, over Israel. Is the rebellion over the smoking bill about freedom or manoeuvering for post-election power? And he assesses Liz Truss's book.

The core of the problem with unclaimed, adult-owned Child Trust Funds (of which there are over £2 billion waiting to be claimed) is with accounts opened by HMRC. That's why The Share Foundation has proposed a 'default withdrawal at 21' process, based on the young person's National Insurance number. Danny Kruger MP took part in the CTF conference in Westminster on Tuesday 5th March, and two weeks later in a Westminster Hall CTF debate, and supported this initiative which could release £1/4 billion each year to help these young and predominantly low-income young adults. Background music: 'Waiting' by Andrew Langdon

Older people received another boost to the state pension this week taking the full rate to over £11,000 a year. This year's increase of 8.5% was thanks to the triple lock commitment - a guarantee the state pension will rise each year by the higher of CPI, wages or 2.5%. What does the future hold? While there is plenty of speculation the state pension may become means tested, in reality it could be incredibly hard to implement. Tanya Jefferies, Georgie Frost, Helen Crane and Lee Boyce talk state pensions – and how they compare to other countries. And sticking on the theme, there is another delay for the Government’s new online state pension top-up service. When will it launch? NS&I has a four-day IT meltdown that makes it a struggle for customers to log-in – and it suggests to one that she may have a ‘time drift.’ What does this bizarre explanation mean? Crane is on the Case once more, this time Eon is in the firing line after it insisted a part-time dance teacher used £95,000 worth of energy … in a month. And who on earth would hold an American Express card in their wallet with an APR 704.6%? Lee has the answer.

Google is the latest tech company to host a conference full of AI pronouncements. Asit Sharma and Deidre Woollard discuss why the market is smiling on Alphabet lately, how Google’s announcements show the company’s AI ambitions and what Blackstone might buy next. Then, 17 minutes in, Robert Brokamp interviews Steve Chen, the CEO of NewRetirement, on what savers often miss about retirement. Companies discussed: GOOG, GOOGL, BX, MSFT, AZMN. Host - Deidre Woollard; Guests - Asit Sharma, Robert Brokamp