Share Sounds

Georgie Frost, Simon Lambert and Tanya Jefferies discuss a new online service coming next Spring for state pension top-ups. Also, Simon looks at what's going on in the Bond market. There's also comment on premium bond values, and the team pick up a cause of local disputes: cameras in the back garden!

Big tech is still benefiting from the push into the cloud, but digital advertising might be slowing down a bit. Earnings from the credit card companies help explain why. Emily Flippen and Jason Moser discuss big tech earnings – trends in cloud spend for Amazon, Microsoft, and Alphabet, and what ad market softness might mean for Meta, Visa and Mastercard earnings, and why consumer spend might lighten up a bit in Q4, and Spotify’s fantastic past twelve months and what investors should think now. Then, 19 minutes in, Motley Fool co-Founder and CEO Tom Gardner caught up with Michael Lewis at ONE: NYC about FTX, SBF, and the investing dynamics of Silicon Valley. Finally, 31 minutes in, Jason and Emily break down two stocks on their radar: Masimo and Okta. Stocks discussed: AMZN, META, GOOG, GOOGL, MSFT, V, MA, SPOT, OKTA, MASI. Host - Dylan Lewis; Guests - Jason Moser, Emily Flippen, Tom Gardner, Michael Lewis

When you have about $150 billion in cash on hand, you’re never out of position for making a decision. Shane Parrish is the founder of Farnam Street, the host of “The Knowledge Project” podcast, and the author of “Clear Thinking: Turning Ordinary Moments Into Extraordinary Results.” Mary Long caught up with Parrish to discuss decision making lessons from Warren Buffett, Charlie Munger, and Daniel Kahneman, how to create rules to become a more disciplined investor, and tips for writing an investment thesis. Tickers discussed: BRK.A, BRK.B. Host - Mary Long; Guest - Shane Parrish

Forgiveness is generally known as a two-way process: asking for it, and giving it. However, stress, resentment and anger can be bottled up inside you, and if the other party is not around — or perhaps has died leaving that unfinished business — it may be wise to move on from the emotional turbulence which can get in the way of a better quality of life. Adam Cox uses the Hooponopono prayer as the basis finding forgiveness and compassion based on love.

Professor Tim Evans of Middlesex University highlights a growing disillusionment around the world with governments and the services they provide. In New Zealand farmers have united to dismantle some of Jacinda Ardern's climate policies, UK polls show that the public overwhelmingly do not trust electric vehicles, which have many more disadvantages than were initially apparent and, again in the UK, major retailers are increasingly turning to private police companies to prosecute the shoplifters because the official police will not do so.

James Cameron-Wilson takes Simon Rose through the latest UK box office chart, with takings down 9%. Trolls Band Together, the third in the series, is the new #1 with a take of £3m. Martin Scorsese's Killers of the Flower Moon took £2.5m at #2. Majestic, brutal and based on a true story, James found Robert de Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio's acting overshadowed by Lily Gladstone, who is favourite to pick up the Best Actress Oscar. Impressive though the film is he thought it too long at three and a half hours. Watching Barbie again now it's out on DVD/BluRay, James was equally impressed and found many things to enjoy he had missed the first time. He also tells how it is getting around Russia's Hollywood movie ban.

Steve Caplin delves into the world of tech. The Hoverboard inventor has designed a 2-wheeled balancing car. For £2m, you can get a 15-foot high transforming robot. Driverless taxis are getting harder to hail in San Francisco. There's an AI-powered chicken coop (with Albert Eggstein). There's a crowdfunded ultrasonic kitchen knife. The Swedish Academy Dictionary, started in 1883, is out but with words like "allergy" and "computer" missing. Scientists have discovered that flipping a coin does not, after all, give you a 50/50 result while others have found that the solution to sitting for too long is to go for a walk.

Ever the contrarian, Russ Mould of A J Bell wonders why he is getting no questions at the moment about mining shares. They have underperformed growth stocks for a decade or so and it is true they are suffering cost input issues like so many other businesses. However, their balance sheets are pretty healthy, we still need the things they dig out of the ground and the renewables transition will exacerbate this. At some stage, they might come back into favour. However, unless investors have geological expertise, they might be best sticking with the majors.

There's a rising crescendo of concern over HM Treasury's decision to leave tax thresholds frozen at current levels until 2028. At a time of high inflation, it particularly bears down on low- and middle-income earners, and itself keeps inflation higher for longer. Several suggestions have been made for alternative ways to sort out the public finances, not least in these Share Radio commentaries, but there's no indication of any willingness to sit down and talk: like an ostrich, heads are firmly in the sand. Background music 'The Nexus Riddim' by Konrad OldMoney

Although it rarely feels like it at the time, stressful and anxious times don't last for ever. Dealing with challenging circumstances or with emotionally-draining issues puts us on edge, as the brain gets focused on what might happen next, and as it struggles to find a way of coping. Adam Cox helps you to build a sense of perspective by drawing on those times when life was — and will be — more settled, and using that experience to find a way through today's strains and stresses.