Merryn Talks Money
Bloomberg
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
Mentioned books
29 snips
Mar 9, 2026 • 34min
Gold, Debt and the AI Boom: A Financial Historian’s Warning
Edward Chancellor, investment strategist and financial historian, offers a historical take on markets, debt and gold. He discusses the AI boom and whether current enthusiasm is a bubble. He explores energy constraints, rising long-term rates and sovereign debt risks. He makes the case for gold, commodities, Japan and emerging markets over bonds and expensive growth stocks.
16 snips
Mar 6, 2026 • 11min
Markets Wrap: War, Energy and the Return of Inflation Risk
They unpack how a widening Middle East war could jolt oil markets and push inflation higher. They examine energy supply shocks and fractured supply chains. They outline how constrained inputs like electricity, land and capital have dented UK productivity. They flag financial strains from higher-for-longer interest rates and the growing risk of stagflation.
Mar 3, 2026 • 29min
Exclusive: Rachel Reeves on Iran Shock, US Trade and Inflation Risks
Stephanie Flanders, Bloomberg’s Head of Economics who led the in-person interview. Rachel Reeves, UK Chancellor responsible for economic and fiscal policy. They discuss Britain’s pending US trade talks and how they relate to decisions on Iran. Conversation covers inflation risks, public finances and plans to boost wages, innovation and productivity.
46 snips
Mar 2, 2026 • 42min
What Can Quant Trading Strategies Teach Us About Markets?
Simon Judes, Chief Investment Officer at Winton and former physicist, explains quantitative investing and how rules, backtesting and automation differ from stock picking. He covers trend-following CTAs, why momentum can diversify portfolios, how AI and alternative data aid research, and which niche markets and risks shape real-world quant strategies.
8 snips
Feb 26, 2026 • 14min
Markets Wrap: From YOLO to HALO
Markets are rotating away from high-multiple AI and software names toward heavy-asset, low-obsolescence firms. The conversation explores triggers for the sell-off and why cheaper knowledge from AI makes pricey software less appealing. There is a focus on infrastructure, metals, servers and the risks of massive speculative capital spending amid higher interest rates.
Feb 25, 2026 • 18min
The 51% Graduate Tax
John Stepek, senior reporter and author of the Money Distilled newsletter, explains why Plan 2 and new Plan 5 student loans leave many grads feeling squeezed. He explores how repayments, tax and NI can push marginal rates above 50%. Short, sharp takes on interest rules, frozen thresholds, life decisions and what policy tweaks might help.
23 snips
Feb 23, 2026 • 39min
Diversification Play: Why It's Not Too Late to Buy Asia
Fiona Yang, portfolio manager at Invesco specializing in Asian equities, brings a valuation-driven, long-term approach to picking stocks across emerging Asian markets. She discusses the 2025 capital rotation into Asia, why Asia is more than China, demographic and structural shifts, rising shareholder returns, geopolitics and how to find mispriced opportunities in diverse markets like India, Korea, Vietnam and Taiwan.
Feb 20, 2026 • 20min
Markets Weekly: Inflation Falls, Wage Growth Cools, and Bets on BOE Cuts
Morwenna Coniam, Bloomberg Markets Today reporter covering inflation and labour data, and Marcus Ashworth, Bloomberg Opinion columnist on monetary policy, discuss this week’s fall in CPI and cooling wage growth. They talk market pricing of earlier BOE cuts, rising youth unemployment and hiring oddities. They also cover housing and rent trends, FTSE themes and Nuveen’s takeover of Schroders.
24 snips
Feb 18, 2026 • 27min
REITs Explained: How Real Estate Investment Trusts Work and What Moves Their Prices
Jack Sidders, Bloomberg real estate lead who specializes in commercial property and REIT analysis. He explains how REITs give investors property exposure. He breaks down sector winners like warehouses, data centres and student housing. He discusses why UK REITs trade at discounts, the role of interest rates and how consolidation and AI-driven demand could reshape the market.
29 snips
Feb 16, 2026 • 27min
Modern Monetary Theory: Free Money or Fiscal Fantasy?
Simon French, Managing Director and Chief Economist at Panmure Liberum, explains Modern Monetary Theory in plain terms. He discusses the pandemic as a real-world stress test. He weighs monetary versus fiscal tools and highlights UK supply constraints, political tensions, and market risks. Short, sharp takes on capital flows, bond markets, and how policy choices reshape resource allocation.
