We’re back with December’s episode of the investment trust show, an AJ Bell Money & Markets bonus episode. This month, Tom Sieber discuss some interesting manager changes on Murray Income Trust and Crystal Amber. [02:14]

Dan Coatsworth talks to Fundsmith’s Terry Smith about proposed changes to Smithson Investment Trust [09:45] and reveals more names being targeted by activist investor Saba [15:55].

Hannah Williford chats to Ashley Thomas from Winterflood about some potential changes that could hurt the renewable energy sector, and a surprising merger proposal between HICL Infrastructure and TRIG (The Renewables Infrastructure Group), which is already receiving pushback from certain shareholders. [19:05]

The gold has had a brilliant year, so Dan talks to commodities expert Evy Hambro from the BlackRock World Mining Trust about the prospects for the shiny metal in 2026 and why he is so bullish on copper. They also talk about takeover activity involving big mining companies and whether China is still as important as it was for commodities demand. [32:58]

Finally, lots of people are asking what they should think about if financial markets go through a difficult period. Hannah spoke to Nick Britton from the Association of Investment Companies about a particular group of investment trusts that aim to preserve investors’ wealth, and which have historically seen increased investor interest when markets fall. They discuss Capital Gearing Trust, Personal Assets Trust and Ruffer Investment Company. [51:19]

AJ Bell experts Charlene Young and Dan Coatsworth react to Rachel Reeves’ autumn Budget in this special edition of the Money & Markets podcast.

Financial markets were initially taken by surprise after the OBR report was leaked ahead of the chancellor’s speech, and Dan explains why gilts and equities moved in a certain way. He also dives into the reasons why banking and gambling shares saw big moves. [31:24]

There was big news for anyone who uses salary sacrifice to make pension contributions. Charlene explains how the system will change from 2029. [07:35]

The taxman is going to take a bigger chunk of your dividends, savings and property income under new rules. Dan also explains how higher property income taxes might lead to higher rent on flats or houses. [10:35]

The podcast team explore the changes in store for Cash ISAs [13:00] and why we might see the Lifetime ISA morph into something else. [14:30]

Are you lucky enough to have a home worth more than £2 million? Brace yourself for higher taxes. [16:45]

Dan argues that a stamp duty holding on shares in newly listed companies doesn’t go far enough. [20:45]. He also explores the extra pressures being piled on small businesses.

Charlene reveals some good news from the Budget around energy bills, rail fares and more. [23:53]. She finishes up with important news on frozen allowances [25:50].

Worried about the state of the stock market and the potential for a crash? You’re not alone as Dan Coatsworth discusses in this episode of the AJ Bell Money & Markets podcast. He looks at what’s happening in the UK and US markets, and why investors have reacted in a certain way. [01:35]

Fundsmith chief executive Terry Smith is on the show to give his thoughts on the plethora of market worries. [08:04]

Charlene Young explains why the economy and the markets are not the same thing. Especially in the context of recent poor growth figures, the unemployment rate creeping up, yet the FTSE 100 recently hitting new record highs. [11:48]

Dan has good news for people worried if their money is protected in the event of a bank or investment platform going bust. [14:41]

There is a lot of talk about home insurance becoming much more expensive in recent years, so Charlene and Dan explore the reasons why premiums have shot up. [20:23]

Anticipation around the Budget is causing jitters in the UK property market, as the pod team discuss. [25:36]

Finally, we’re debuting a new series celebrating interesting companies on the UK stock market. Our first guest is Ronnie George, chief executive of Volution, a ventilation products group which has made twice as much money for shareholders over the past year than a fund tracking the US stock market. [28:17]

Sign up to the free AJ Bell Budget webinar on 27 November 2025 at 1pm GMT: https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/6453427819562096725