Merryn Talks Money
- Episodes
- 416
- Released
- several times a week
- Latest episode
- Nov 13, 2026
About the podcast
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.
Episodes 416
The Nvidia Shock and Britain’s Housing Problem
In this week’s Markets Wrap, Merryn Somerset Webb and John Stepek discuss the financial fallout from the scandal surrounding Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, what it means for Nvidia investors and thewider AI trade …
Show notes
In this week’s Markets Wrap, Merryn Somerset Webb and John Stepek discuss the financial fallout from the scandal surrounding Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, what it means for Nvidia investors and the
wider AI trade, and why even passive investors could be exposed. Plus, they look at the worsening state of the UK housing market, the pressure from higher interest rates and what falling house
prices could mean for household wealth and the Bank of Mum and Dad.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The Emerging Markets Everyone Else Is Missing
Emerging markets have had a strong year, but much of that performance has been driven by a handful of AI-linked stocks. Merryn Somerset Webb speaks with Neuberger portfolio managers Vera German and Juan Torres …
Show notes
Emerging markets have had a strong year, but much of that performance has been driven by a handful of AI-linked stocks. Merryn Somerset Webb speaks with Neuberger portfolio managers Vera German and Juan Torres about where they’re finding value away from the crowded trade — from China and Brazil to Mexico, Kenya and Uzbekistan — and why they think some of the best opportunities are hiding far from the index.
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Bad News Is Good News — Until It Isn’t
In this episode of Markets Wrap, Merryn Somerset Webb and John Stepek discuss the Bank of England’s latest rate hike, a record high for the FTSE 250 and the shrinking UK small-cap market. Plus, they look at the …
Show notes
In this episode of Markets Wrap, Merryn Somerset Webb and John Stepek discuss the Bank of England’s latest rate hike, a record high for the FTSE 250 and the shrinking UK small-cap market. Plus, they look at the fallout from the US midterms and what it could mean for AI, data centres and markets.
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Episode 4: Your Questions On Rebalancing, Investment Gurus, And Ready-Made Portfolios Answered
In the final episode of The Portfolio Reset, Merryn Somerset Webb and John Stepek answer listeners’ questions. They address when to rebalance, whether ready-made funds are really diversified, how to avoid …
Show notes
In the final episode of The Portfolio Reset, Merryn Somerset Webb and John Stepek answer listeners’ questions. They address when to rebalance, whether ready-made funds are really diversified, how to avoid investment regret, and whether the lessons of Warren Buffett, Ben Graham and Peter Lynch still hold up today.
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Where Do You Hide From an AI Bubble?
Merryn Somerset Webb sits down with Chris Clothier, co-chief investment officer at CG Asset Management, to discuss the fragile economics of the AI boom and what could bring the spending spree to an end. They …
Show notes
Merryn Somerset Webb sits down with Chris Clothier, co-chief investment officer at CG Asset Management, to discuss the fragile economics of the AI boom and what could bring the spending spree to an end. They also explore the case for inflation-linked bonds, the growing fiscal risks facing governments, where investors can find safe havens in stretched markets and why, despite his concerns about inflation, Clothier’s firm doesn’t own any gold.
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Has the UK Redefined What It Means to Be a High Earner?
Merryn Somerset Webb and John Stepek are joined by Hargreaves Lansdown’s Anna Macdonald to unpack the UK Budget, from fiscal drag and tax complexity to what it means for investors and small businesses. Plus …
Show notes
Merryn Somerset Webb and John Stepek are joined by Hargreaves Lansdown’s Anna Macdonald to unpack the UK Budget, from fiscal drag and tax complexity to what it means for investors and small businesses. Plus, they ask whether the market's drastic reaction to a mild disappointment from Alphabet is a sign that AI exuberance is nearing an end.
Clarifying note: In this episode Merryn said if the 40% tax threshold had gone up with inflation, it would closer to 100k than 50k. She meant if the threshold had gone in the same ratio as minimum wage.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The Portfolio Reset: Episode 3
No investor can know exactly what markets will do next. So instead of trying to predict the next winner, the goal is to build a portfolio that can hold up across a range of scenarios — one that reflects your …
Show notes
No investor can know exactly what markets will do next. So instead of trying to predict the next winner, the goal is to build a portfolio that can hold up across a range of scenarios — one that reflects your appetite for risk, your financial goals and how long you have to invest.
In the third and final episode of the series, Merryn Somerset Webb, John Stepek and Bloomberg experts break down the building blocks of a diversified portfolio and explore how different assets perform as economic conditions change. They explain how to combine those assets and where diversification can fall short. Because investing isn't about knowing what comes next. It's about building a portfolio resilient enough for an uncertain future.
Like this podcast? Get The Portfolio Reset newsletter to make your money work harder in changing markets.bloomberg.com/account/newsletters/portfolio-reset
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Can the AI Boom Survive a Margin Squeeze?
In this episode of Merryn Talks Money, Merryn Somerset Webb and Steve Hou, head of research at Silicon Data, delve into an emerging issue in the economics of artificial intelligence: token prices are falling …
Show notes
In this episode of Merryn Talks Money, Merryn Somerset Webb and Steve Hou, head of research at Silicon Data, delve into an emerging issue in the economics of artificial intelligence: token prices are falling while the cost of compute needed to produce them is rising. They discuss what this mismatch could mean for the valuations of companies like OpenAI and Anthropic, whether demand can justify the enormous sums being invested in AI infrastructure and what happens when everyone has armies of AI agents working on our behalf.
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French Bond Markets and AI Neoclouds Feel The Pressure
Are we heading for another eurozone panic? This week, John Stepek and Bloomberg’s Sam Unsted discuss why political uncertainty in France is pushing up the country's borrowing costs, why the UKhas (perhaps …
Show notes
Are we heading for another eurozone panic? This week, John Stepek and Bloomberg’s Sam Unsted discuss why political uncertainty in France is pushing up the country's borrowing costs, why the UK
has (perhaps surprisingly) managed to avoid similar pressure, and where the first signs of strain are emerging in the AI boom. They also explore what slowing AI investment could mean for the
investors, governments and industries banking on its growth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The Portfolio Reset: Episode 2
Passive investing was designed to track the market, not shape it. But as Merryn Somerset Webb and John Stepek explore in the second episode of The Portfolio Reset, the enormous growth of passive investing has …
Show notes
Passive investing was designed to track the market, not shape it. But as Merryn Somerset Webb and John Stepek explore in the second episode of The Portfolio Reset, the enormous growth of passive investing has changed the market it was built to follow, just as some of the world’s most valuable companies are staying private for longer.
Using SpaceX as an example, they examine the changing relationship between public and private markets and why no investment is truly passive — someone is always making a decision somewhere in the process. As passive flows grow powerful enough to move markets, Merryn and John explain why investors should make sure they’re making active decisions in pursuit of their own financial goals, rather than leaving those decisions in the hands of strangers.
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The Case for Buying Small Caps Now
After years of being overshadowed by US megacaps and the artificial intelligence boom, could smaller companies finally be ready for a comeback? Merryn Somerset Webb speaks with Downing fund manager Simon …
Show notes
After years of being overshadowed by US megacaps and the artificial intelligence boom, could smaller companies finally be ready for a comeback? Merryn Somerset Webb speaks with Downing fund manager Simon Evan-Cook and Odyssean Capital’s Stuart Widdowson about why small caps remain unusually cheap, what could bring investors back — and whether small-cap value could become the ultimate anti-AI trade.
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Markets Wrap: AI Jitters, Budget Expectations and UK Housing Rebound?
Are we seeing signs of investors starting to lose their nerve over artificial intelligence? On this week's markets wrap, Merryn Somerset Webb and John Stepek discuss the cracks appearing in the AI boom, as well …
Show notes
Are we seeing signs of investors starting to lose their nerve over artificial intelligence? On this week's markets wrap, Merryn Somerset Webb and John Stepek discuss the cracks appearing in the AI boom, as well as why UK house prices could rebound faster than expected, and how changes to inheritance tax may help fuel demand. Plus, with the Budget approaching, they ask whether the best thing the government could do is simply leave well enough alone.
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The Portfolio Reset: Episode 1
For today’s investor, making money in markets may seem straightforward: put your money into a passive fund that tracks US stocks. It’s been a winning strategy for so long that it feels like the obvious choice …
Show notes
For today’s investor, making money in markets may seem straightforward: put your money into a passive fund that tracks US stocks. It’s been a winning strategy for so long that it feels like the obvious choice. Yet as Merryn Somerset Webb, John Stepek and their expert guests discuss over the course of this four-part series, past performance is no guarantee of future returns, with major implications for how investors build their portfolios.
In the first episode, they examine how passive investing went from a niche strategy to the default for many people, channeling ever more capital into US stocks and the tech giants that dominate the market. Passive investing is still an investment decision, after all — one that leaves many investors with far more concentration risk than they realize.
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Why the Commodity Bull Market Is Just Beginning
Adam Rozencwajg, portfolio manager at natural resources firm Goehring and Rozencwajg, joins Merryn Somerset Webb to explain why he thinks the commodity bull market may still be in its early stages. They discuss …
Show notes
Adam Rozencwajg, portfolio manager at natural resources firm Goehring and Rozencwajg, joins Merryn Somerset Webb to explain why he thinks the commodity bull market may still be in its early stages. They discuss why gold could fall before reaching new highs, why US shale may have peaked and where he sees opportunities in oil and uranium.
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Markets Wrap: Bond Market Turmoil, Inheritance Tax and AI risks
Are European bond markets signaling disaster? This week, John Stepek and Bloomberg's David Goodman explore how the rising gap between bond yields in France and Germany mirrors the eurozone debt crisis, why …
Show notes
Are European bond markets signaling disaster? This week, John Stepek and Bloomberg's David Goodman explore how the rising gap between bond yields in France and Germany mirrors the eurozone debt crisis, why governments are struggling to deal with the return to more "normal" interest rates, and why Conservative proposals for inheritance tax might clog up the housing market even further.
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What to Do If Your Mortgage Rate Jumps
John Stepek, senior reporter and author of the Money Distilled newsletter, is joined by Anthony Emmerson, director at London-based mortgage broker Trinity Financial to discuss rising mortgage rates and …
Show notes
John Stepek, senior reporter and author of the Money Distilled newsletter, is joined by Anthony Emmerson, director at London-based mortgage broker Trinity Financial to discuss rising mortgage rates and borrowers facing a jump in repayments, they explain what homeowners can do to soften the blow — from locking in a new deal early to extending their mortgage term or considering a tracker. They also look at opportunities for first-time buyers, falling flat prices and what the government’s proposed Help to Buy scheme could mean for the housing market.
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How to Outsmart Your Investing Instincts
Merryn Somerset Webb speaks with Alex Edmans, author of The Madness of Markets: Why Smart Investors Make Crazy Decisions – And How to Exploit Them, about why even sophisticated investors struggle to overcome …
Show notes
Merryn Somerset Webb speaks with Alex Edmans, author of The Madness of Markets: Why Smart Investors Make Crazy Decisions – And How to Exploit Them, about why even sophisticated investors struggle to overcome the psychological biases that shape their decisions. Markets are driven by humans, and humans are emotional. Edmans explains how understanding the influence of emotion, herd behavior and over-confidence can help investors make better decisions — and potentially achieve better returns.
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Markets Wrap: The Triple Lock, Bond Yields and Housing
Fresh off the party conference, the Labour government is promising pension reform, a new approach to social care and yet another scheme to help first-time buyers. Merryn Somerset Webb and John Stepek ask …
Show notes
Fresh off the party conference, the Labour government is promising pension reform, a new approach to social care and yet another scheme to help first-time buyers. Merryn Somerset Webb and John Stepek ask whether the sums add up, what the bond market is making of it all — and why the latest Help to Buy plan could leave some buyers worse off.
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Physical Gold, Stocks and Retirement: Your Questions Answered
Merryn Somerset Webb and John Stepek answer some of your questions. They explore the differences between holding physical gold and investing through an ETF, whether or not buying shares actually benefits the …
Show notes
Merryn Somerset Webb and John Stepek answer some of your questions. They explore the differences between holding physical gold and investing through an ETF, whether or not buying shares actually benefits the company you've invested in, and how best to adjust your retirement investment strategy as you draw closer to the big day.
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The Stocks That Could Survive an AI Bust
Merryn Somerset Webb speaks with Blue Whale Growth Fund Chief Investment Officer Stephen Yiu about what could derail the artificial intelligence boom — and where investors might look if it does. They discuss …
Show notes
Merryn Somerset Webb speaks with Blue Whale Growth Fund Chief Investment Officer Stephen Yiu about what could derail the artificial intelligence boom — and where investors might look if it does. They discuss whether today’s enthusiasm is masking an earnings bubble, how investors can diversify beyond AI and which emerging technologies and geopolitical risks could reshape the market next.
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Is the Stock Market Sending a Warning?
Merryn and John discuss worrying signals from the stock market, the physical constraints facing the AI boom, China’s growing appetite for gold and an unexpected consequence of the data-center buildout.See …
Show notes
Merryn and John discuss worrying signals from the stock market, the physical constraints facing the AI boom, China’s growing appetite for gold and an unexpected consequence of the data-center buildout.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Chapters (2)
Is Buy-to-Let Still a Good Investment?
As the UK's buy-to-let marks its 30th anniversary, we still find ourselves asking: is it worth it? This week, Merryn Somerset Webb and Aneisha Beveridge, head of research at Hamptons, discuss how it went from …
Show notes
As the UK's buy-to-let marks its 30th anniversary, we still find ourselves asking: is it worth it? This week, Merryn Somerset Webb and Aneisha Beveridge, head of research at Hamptons, discuss how it went from accessible investment strategy to heavily taxed and regulated. They explore multiple factors that changed the market and what it now takes to make buy-to-let worthwhile.
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What Career Should You Choose in the AI Age?
Merryn Somerset Webb speaks with Daniel Susskind, senior research associate at the Institute for Ethics in AI at the University of Oxford and a member of the UK government’s expert panel on AI and the future of …
Show notes
Merryn Somerset Webb speaks with Daniel Susskind, senior research associate at the Institute for Ethics in AI at the University of Oxford and a member of the UK government’s expert panel on AI and the future of work. AI is expected to transform the job market, potentially upending many of the traditional educational pathways that have long led students into established professions. As those routes begin to look increasingly uncertain, how should young people prepare for the world of work that awaits them? In his book, What Should My Children Do?, Susskind seeks to answer that question, offering a framework for how children — and adults — can best prepare for an evolving labor market with AI at its center.
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Can Governments Afford These Interest Rates?
It’s interest-rate week, with central banks around the world making key decisions. Merryn Somerset Webb and John Stepek discuss what rising rates mean for markets, government debt and your money — and why …
Show notes
It’s interest-rate week, with central banks around the world making key decisions. Merryn Somerset Webb and John Stepek discuss what rising rates mean for markets, government debt and your money — and why financial repression and currency devaluation could be coming back into focus.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Chapters (3)
How to Turn Income Into an Inheritance Tax Break
Merryn Somerset Webb sits down with Sarah Coles, head of personal finance at AJ Bell, to discuss how gifting surplus income can help reduce your inheritance tax bill ahead of changes to the IHT treatment of …
Show notes
Merryn Somerset Webb sits down with Sarah Coles, head of personal finance at AJ Bell, to discuss how gifting surplus income can help reduce your inheritance tax bill ahead of changes to the IHT treatment of pensions in April 2027.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Ed Conway on the Hidden Supply Chains That Run the World
Merryn Somerset Webb speaks with Ed Conway, economics and data editor at Sky News and author of Trade World, about the vast and often invisible supply chains behind the things we buy. They discuss whether …
Show notes
Merryn Somerset Webb speaks with Ed Conway, economics and data editor at Sky News and author of Trade World, about the vast and often invisible supply chains behind the things we buy. They discuss whether decades of globalisation have made economies more resilient or dangerously dependent, China’s manufacturing advantage and whether the UK and Europe can rebuild their industrial base without giving up the cheap goods consumers have come to expect.
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Markets Wrap: Bessent's Big Bet, Bond Yields and the AI Bubble
Britain’s bond yields are the highest in the G7, as renewed inflation pressures collide with rising defense costs and a government reluctant to make politically painful spending choices. This week, John Stepek …
Show notes
Britain’s bond yields are the highest in the G7, as renewed inflation pressures collide with rising defense costs and a government reluctant to make politically painful spending choices. This week, John Stepek is joined by Bloomberg macro strategist Simon White to discuss whether markets will ultimately force Britain’s hand, what Scott Bessent’s interventions mean for US Treasuries and the yen, and whether the AI boom is getting closer to a correction.
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Live From Fringe: What Adam Smith Can Teach Us About Debt and Power
In this episode of Merryn Talks Money, host Merryn Somerset Webb is joined live at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe by Bloomberg Opinion columnist Adrian Wooldridge, former British ambassador Nick Hopton and Orbis …
Show notes
In this episode of Merryn Talks Money, host Merryn Somerset Webb is joined live at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe by Bloomberg Opinion columnist Adrian Wooldridge, former British ambassador Nick Hopton and Orbis Investment Management Chairman Alec Cutler to ask what Adam Smith can teach us about today's rapidly changing economic order.
The panel considers rising government debt, the growing relationship between states and powerful companies, and whether the AI investment boom could follow the same pattern as previous market bubbles. They also discuss what it all means for investors, from the impact on gold and government bonds to the implications for energy stocks and, specifically for the UK, the future of the North Sea.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Live From Fringe: What Adam Smith Would Say of Bond Market Turmoil
Host Merryn Somerset Webb is joined by Interactive Investor CEO Richard Wilson, Anna MacDonald, investment strategy director at Hargreaves Lansdown, and Russell Napier, financial historian and Keeper of the the …
Show notes
Host Merryn Somerset Webb is joined by Interactive Investor CEO Richard Wilson, Anna MacDonald, investment strategy director at Hargreaves Lansdown, and Russell Napier, financial historian and Keeper of the the Library of Mistakes for the second installment of panel discussions at Panmure House during the 2026 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
The panel discussed the state of global bond markets, how policymakers seem incapable of thinking about second-order consequences and the fiscal constraints facing the UK government.
Original Music Composed by Mint SherbetsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Live from Fringe: What Adam Smith Can Teach Investors About AI and Investing
In this episode of Merryn Talks Money, host Merryn Somerset Webb is joined by Bloomberg senior reporter John Stepek, Schroders Head of Strategic Research Duncan Lamont and Nelsons Chairman and Creative Scotland …
Show notes
In this episode of Merryn Talks Money, host Merryn Somerset Webb is joined by Bloomberg senior reporter John Stepek, Schroders Head of Strategic Research Duncan Lamont and Nelsons Chairman and Creative Scotland Chair Robert Wilson for a special roundtable recorded at Panmure House during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Marking 250 years since the publication of The Wealth of Nations, they ask what Adam Smith can teach the world about artificial intelligence, government intervention and investing.
The panel discusses whether policymakers interfere too much in markets, why holding too much cash can be a risk in itself and whether investors should worry about buying stocks at record highs. They also explore what the rise of AI could mean for jobs, trust and the relationships that hold societies together.
Original Music Composed by Mint SherbetsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
These are the latest 40 of 416 episodes. You’ll find older episodes in the podcast’s feed.
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