Podcast
Merryn Talks Money
Hosted by Bloomberg · EN
Merryn Talks Money with Bloomberg senior columnist Merryn Somerset Webb is your key to understanding how markets work – and how you can make them work for you. Every episode features a relaxed but in-depth conversation with a fund manager, a strategist, a Bloomberg expert or just someone Merryn finds particularly interesting in any given week. Listen in for the kind of insights and explanations everyone can use to help them make better saving and investing choices.
362episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Carson Block: AI Could Trigger the Next Financial Crisis
Yesterday00:43:11Summary readyCarson Block believes investors may be underestimating the economic consequences of artificial intelligence. The Muddy Waters founder and CEO joins Merryn Somerset Webb to explain why recent advances in AI have made him rethink its impact on the labour market—and why he believes widespread displacement of knowledge workers could eventually create a major challenge for financial markets.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
SummaryPassive Investing, SpaceX and the AI Boom: Are Markets Too Concentrated?
3d ago00:26:43Summary readyMerryn Somerset Webb and Bloomberg Opinion columnist and senior markets editor John Authers discuss how SpaceX’s market debut has highlighted the hidden risks of passive investing, from index concentration to the growing influence of benchmark providers. They also assess new Fed Chair Kevin Warsh’s first policy signals and debate whether today’s AI boom is a bubble—and what could bring it to an end.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Summary
The SpaceX IPO: Opportunity or Overvalued?
5d ago00:16:54Summary readyThe SpaceX blockbuster IPO has captivated retail investors, but what happens after the initial excitement fades? Merryn Somerset Webb speaks to Hargreaves Lansdown's Anna Macdonald about the extraordinary demand for shares, the dangers of concentration risk, and what the IPO means for market democracy. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
SummaryThis Hated Corner of the Stock Market Is Yielding Big Returns
1w ago00:38:44Summary readyLaurence Hulse, founder and lead fund manager of Onward Opportunities, explains how he launched and grew a specialist UK small-cap investment trust despite one of the toughest environments in decades for both investment trusts and British equities. He shares his "gems among the rubble" approach to uncovering overlooked companies, discusses why UK small caps remain deeply undervalued and reveals how active engagement, artificial intelligence-powered research tools and intensive company analysis have helped his fund significantly outperform its peers.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Summary
Are Public Markets Back?
1w ago00:15:39Summary readyOn this week's Merryn Talks Money markets wrap, Merryn Somerset Webb and John Stepek discuss gold's recent correction and debate what healthy allocation could actually look like. They also consider what upcoming bumper IPOs mean for the return of public markets and whether inheritance tax free "patriotic bonds" could help Britain fund its defence budget.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Summary
The Rich Are Getting Richer: What Do They Want From Wealth Managers?
2w ago00:25:12Summary readyWho became wealthier in 2025 and what do they want from their financial advisor? Merryn Somerset Webb sits down with Capgemini's Gareth Wilson to discuss the latest World Wealth Report, the rise of robo-advisors and family offices and why traditional wealth management firms are facing growing competition. They also debate the question: Do investors want empathy from their wealth manager or simply better returns?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Summary
SpaceX Emergency Podcast: FOMO is Not an Investment Strategy
2w ago00:17:50Summary readyOn this special episode of the Merryn Talks Money markets wrap, hosts Merryn Somerset Webb and John Stepek discuss the SpaceX IPO. How can UK investors get access? Do the numbers add up? Why will it make life more complicated for passive investors? And what are the implications for the long queue of AI IPOs still to come, and for wider markets?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
SummaryWhy Democracy Needs the Rich: John O. McGinnis on Wealth, Power and Pluralism
2w ago00:32:31Summary readyAt a time when politicians across the West are calling for higher taxes on the wealthy, legal scholar and author John O. McGinnis offers a strikingly different view: what if democracy needs the rich? He joins Merryn Somerset Webb to discuss power, inequality, free speech and what he says is the hidden role wealth plays in keeping democratic societies healthy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Summary
SpaceX Fever, Bitcoin's Bad Week and How to Get the UK Investing
2w ago00:22:11Summary readyOn this week's markets wrap, John Stepek and Sam Unsted, editor of the Markets Today blog, explore the implications of SpaceX’s anticipated $75 billion IPO, debating whether its massive size could reshape market structure, passive investing, and investor appetite for AI-related assets. They also highlight Bitcoin’s sharp decline this year and the UK’s long-running challenge of encouraging retail investors to move cash savings into investments.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Summary
Inheritance Tax Is Catching More People — Here's How to Fight Back
3w ago00:24:04Summary readyInheritance tax is catching more families than ever, and recent rule changes will only extend the net even further. In this episode, hosts Merryn Somerset Webb and John Stepek discuss the most effective ways to reduce an IHT bill with inheritance tax specialist Rob May, including a detailed look at the types of insurance available, and how much they're likely to cost you.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Summary