Share Sounds

Since the most recent escalation of the conflict in Gaza in October 2023, the charity Start Network has received over 60 other global humanitarian crisis alerts, that you may not have heard about. For one reason or another, these global events don’t get the coverage they deserve and as a result, miss out on necessary donations and aid. But Start Network are doing things differently, and this year marks the 10th anniversary of their Start Fund. Joining Adam Cox now to discuss this with the CEO of Start Network Christina Bennett.

As GCSE and 'A' Level exam season sets in across the nation, students will no doubt be contemplating their futures. Given that it's Learning at Work Week — and there’s an ongoing rise in those seeking university alternatives — it’s probably time we chatted about apprenticeships. Joining Adam Cox now to do just that is Matt Butcher from New College Swindon and Darran Marks from the Swindon and Wiltshire Institute of Technology.

Neil Shah of Edison Group discusses the latest changes to his amazingly successful model portfolio The Illuminator. Although still of interest Rolls-Royce and Rightmove are ejected to make room for two newcomers. Online appliance retailer AO World has embarked on a turnaround and its guidance is optimistic, showing a great increase in profitability. Possessing a good balance sheet, they should earn a decent return for shareholders. Renew Holdings is a boring, but worthwhile compounder. It's a market leader in its area of engineering and construction, a fragmented market place. It has a high level of recurring revenue, well-disciplined management and will benefit from UK infrastructure spending. More here: https://www.edisongroup.com/insight/the-illuminator-march-2024/

James Cameron-Wilson laments the UK box office, down 32% because of the sunny weather. It meant Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes only took £3.8m. Despite his loneliness in the cinema, James found it a miraculous piece of cinematic magic; clever, multi-layered, exciting and often funny, with amazing production design. On Netflix, he was disappointed by In the Land of Saints & Sinners, a plodding thriller with Liam Neeson. And he found Disney Plus's Prom Dates to have a few amusing bits but to be far too crude and predictable.

Political commentator Mike Indian discusses Keir Starmer's six pledges as the long General Election campaign gets underway. He looks at why underinvestment in infrastructure in the UK is coming back to haunt us, offering some suggestions at ways to improve things. And he looks at who is pulling the strings in Labour behind the scenes at think tank Labour Together. Although Labour may mock the chaos of the Conservative Party, Mike wonders how turbulent the broad church of the Labour Party will be when it is in power.

Steve Caplin is excited by ChatGPT's latest innovation which combines text, audio and video and talks to you uncannily realistically. He also explains which AI system you should use and points out that AI is not guaranteed to tell the truth. There's the video portal between Dublin and New York which had to be shut because of mischievous activity. Scientists have found a way to consume alcohol without getting drunk. MIT is working on a way to combat noisy neighbours. There may be a way to stop satellite jammers blinding planes' navigation systems. And Ordnance Survey is incorporating local nicknames to its maps.

Individual achievement is recognised in many walks of life, and that recognition spurs people on to achieve even greater things. With education, good exam results and university entrance are celebrated, but this doesn't do much for those who find it difficult to get started in the first place. That's why The Share Foundation's introduction of incentivised learning is so important for young people in care, achieving an attitudinal transformation as they progress through the six-step Stepladder course. We need acceptance of incentivised learning to break the cycle of deprivation. Background music: 'Everything Has a Beginning' by Joel Cummins

The Bank of England decided to hold the base rate for the sixth time in a row this week – but was it the right decision? Should the MPC have been bold and made a cut? What does it mean for our mortgages and savings? And when will a move come - and in what direction? Georgie Frost, Simon Lambert and Lee Boyce talk about the base rate decision and what happens next. In the world of property, the number of homes being devalued is on the rise. So, what's going on? And what can you do if it happens to you? Bungalows are having a moment. They're not just for the elderly and downsizers, young families and first time buyers are also increasingly interested - pushing the price of them higher since the pandemic. Energy firms have been trying to push smart meters on us for years: have they uncovered a new trick to get us to make the swap? And finally, it's been good news for JD Wetherspoon - the no frills pub chain said it expects annual profits to come in towards the 'top end' of forecasts. Where do you stand on Spoons? Lee and Simon face-off with different pints of view on the pub giant.

Relatively strong earnings results from Shopify and Roblox were overshadowed by questions about the outlook for the rest of the year and whether consumers will keep up the online shopping and in-game spending. Ron Gross and Andy Cross discuss Disney’s path to streaming profitability, and the warnings from Shopify and Roblox that growth in the back half of 2024 might be a bit lighter, Trade Desk’s relative strength in a tough earnings environment, and Airbnb bracing for some travel slowdown, and how drinkmaker Celsius continues to find the energy for growth. Then, 19 minutes in, Motley Fool co-founder David Gardner provides some timeless advice for college grads. Finally, 27 minutes in, Ron and Matt break down two stocks on their radar: Toast and Trex. Stocks discussed: DIS, SHOP, RBLX, TTD, ABNB, CELH, TREX, TOST. Host - Dylan Lewis; Guests - Andy Cross, Ron Gross, David Gardner, Mary Long.

When Warren Buffett talks, investors listen. We unpack the quotes and commentary from the market’s most anticipated annual meeting and check in on the state of Berkshire Hathaway. Jim Gillies and Dylan Lewis discuss Berkshire’s past and future succession-planning, what Buffett’s cash stack and shrinking Apple position might signal about his view of the market and tax policy, and why investors shouldn’t be looking at Berkshire on a strictly total-return basis. Companies discussed: BRK.A, BRK.B, AAPL. Host - Dylan Lewis; Guest - Jim Gillies