Share Sounds

With the Bank of England's MPC displaying "studious inactivity", Russ Mould of A J Bell looks at why interest rates are so important to pricing in stock markets. Despite no change in rates, the UK market is now anticipating a cut soon helped by the Swedish Riksbank cutting its rates for the first time in 8 years, along with other European banks. Russ also looks at the types of shares that will benefit from falling rates – assuming investors are reading the runes correctly.

Professor Tim Evans of Middlesex University looks at shadow foreign secretary David Lammy's attempts to woo Donald Trump as well as Joe Biden. With even the Prime Minister appearing not to believe the Conservatives will be in Government soon, he considers the future of the party and "Conservatism", wondering if there is going to be a massive shake-up of the order of British politics. And he looks at the shocking state of the NHS estate, with over 2,000 hospital buildings predating the birth of the NHS in 1948.

James Cameron-Wilson takes Simon Rose through the UK box office chart, up 27% on the week. New #1 is The Fall Guy about a stunt man. But James found Ryan Gosling smug and obtruse and Emily Blunt irritating in a noisy & cheesy film that, while possessing some impressive action scenes, makes little sense. At #6 is boring low-budget horror Tarot, which is one star all the way. James, however, did enjoy Amazon Prime's The Idea of You with Anne Hathaway romancing a much younger pop star. Often delightful and touching – in a rom com sort of way – James felt it was like a music version of Notting Hill.

Steve Caplin delves into the world of gadgets. You can swim faster with an underwater bike or the thrusters of the Jetdrive Pro. You can speedwalk with Moonwalker robotic shoes. There's an electric quadricycle and a personal flying system. You can now strap bike clips to your shoes. If you're after a megayacht, Bill Gates is selling his – unusued. The new Swiss Army Knife has no blades. And accountants BDO will no longer be doing Zoom interviews to cut down on cheating.

England delivered a withering verdict on its ruling Conservative Party last week, but the motley spread of replacement parties plus low turnout revealed a population thoroughly disenchanted by politics. Democracy is calling for a fresh perspective, based on reason and logic. We need to draw inspiration from people like Thomas Jefferson who said, 'We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all are created equal, that they are endowed with certain unalienable rights, and that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.' Background music: 'Freedom' by Dan Lebowitz

With not one but two mortgage spikes fresh in our minds, a flurry of rate rises have got home owners and potential buyers worried again. A bunch of major mortgage lenders raised their rates this week - and Santander did it twice. So, are we about to see another mortgage spike or is this just what brokers and lenders like to optimistically call a mere 're-pricing'? And what does this all mean if you need to remortgage soon or want to buy a home? Georgie Frost, Helen Crane and Simon lambert take a look at what's happening in the mortgage market, why rates are rising and whether the Federal Reserve flapping its wings on the other side of the world pushes up our homeowning costs. Plus, Simon explains why you may not want to put all of your savings into your pension as it might dent early retirement chances. The team look at how at the other end of the scale someone with a bigger pension than they need could pass it to their grandchildren. Helen details a worrying 'Crane on the Case' theft and how to protect yourself - and finally we discuss whether a passkey is the answer to our fraud fears.

Customers are willing to pay up, as long as it’s convenient. Amazon’s e-commerce segment proves it, but at Starbucks long lines during peak periods have customers rethinking their orders. Asit Sharma and Dylan Lewis discuss — in the face of revenue declines and struggling comps, are Starbucks’ shares worth watching? Amazon’s eye-popping operating margin, fueled by strength in its ad business, the cloud, and cost-cutting measures. Then, 15 minutes in, the name of the game in food is innovation — Mary Long talks with food and beverage analyst David Henkes about McDonald’s new approach with CosMc’s. Companies discussed: SBUX, AMZN, MCD. Host - Dylan Lewis; Guests - Asit Sharma, Mary Long, David Henkes.

Alex Chriss is still early in his tenure as the CEO of PayPal, but the company’s turnaround is already showing green shoots. PayPal’s earnings and why a drop at a specialty insurance company could be a buying opportunity for investors. Then, 17 minutes in, what to do before you meet a financial advisor, and some questions to ask in an initial meeting. Companies discussed: PYPL, INTU, ZM, KNSL. Host - Ricky Mulvey; Guests - Matt Frankel, Alison Southwick, Robert Brokamp

Anxiety for the future can become a self-fulfilling prophecy: that's what's known as an 'anticipatory fear strategy'. It can hold you back and deny you opportunities. If those 'What If' thoughts could be entertaining, inspiring, they could give rise to useful ideas — turning 'Glass Half-Empty' into 'Glass Half-Full'.

Neil Shah of Edison Group highlights a couple of companies he thinks might interest private investors. Many will have dealt with broker A J Bell which Neil thinks is doing well, being the 2nd-biggest execution-only broker. They've grown market share by lowering their prices but, given the drive for people to take more control of their finances, he finds them relatively inexpensive. And, although hardly a sexy business, he likes Epwin, which largely makes products for building repair and maintenance, such as doors and windows. They are exceptionally well run and go from strength to strength, are on an undemanding valuation and yield almost 6%.