Merryn Somerset Webb is joined by Sky News economics editor Ed Conway, author of Material World, to explain why the real engines of modern life aren’t apps and algorithms—they’re the raw materials and “unseen” industries that make everything else possible. From salt and ethylene to ammonia and soda ash, Conway argues the UK (and Europe) are rapidly losing core chemical manufacturing capacity, driven by high energy costs and complacency about imports, with serious consequences for healthcare supply chains, industrial resilience and even defense. As the world pivots back toward the physical economy, from AI data centers to net-zero infrastructure, this conversation is a wake-up call for policymakers, investors and anyone who assumes critical materials will always be available on demand.

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In this emergency bonus episode of Merryn Talks Money, Merryn Somerset Webb and John Stepek unpack a sudden crypto selloff that has seen Bitcoin tumble nearly 50% from its highs, confounding expectations that it would behave like “digital gold.”

To make sense of the chaos, they’re joined by Charlie Morris, founder and chairman of ByteTree, who explains why Bitcoin trades more like a tech asset than a safe haven — and why its brutal volatility may be a feature, not a bug. The conversation digs into Bitcoin’s four-year cycles, its relationship with liquidity and tech stocks, fears around quantum computing, and whether regulation or stablecoins change the long-term case.

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On this week's Merryn Talks Money markets round up, Bloomberg senior reporter, John Stepek is joined once again by Bloomberg Opinion columnist Marcus Ashworth. The pair analyse the Bank of England’s latest interest rate decision and look at what lies behind the Bank's suddenly dovish turn. They also discuss the AI triggered software stock sell off.

Editor’s note: Bloomberg LP, the parent of Bloomberg News, competes with LSEG and others mentioned in this podcast in providing financial data and news. Bloomberg Law sells legal research tools and software.

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For today's show we're bringing you an evergreen episode that we found really insightful last summer and the lessons remain valid for today.

The more than $100 trillion wealth transfer that’s projected to be passed down from older to younger generations over the next quarter century is set to reshape the wealth management industry. And younger investors plan to move their money to new advisors, according to a report by IT services and consulting group Capgemini.
On this episode of Merryn Talks Money, the firm’s global banking industry leader, Gareth Wilson, joins host Merryn Somerset Webb to discuss why young people want to make the move and what they should consider when choosing new wealth managers.

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Investors have flocked to gold in the past year, prompting the precious metal to notch a series of price records and eclipse its inflation-adjusted peak from 1980. Friday’s Fed-announcement drama notwithstanding, the price of gold is up 13% so far this year. It even smashed through $5,000 per troy ounce last week—a first. What’s fueling the record-breaking run and where could the price go from here? On this week’s episode of Merryn Talks Money, John Reade, market strategist for Asia and Europe at the World Gold Council, joins host Merryn Somerset Webb to offer some answers.

Please note this conversation was recorded on Wednesday, January 28.

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Precious metals seem to be hitting new all-time highs almost every week. On this week's markets wrap, Money Distilled author and senior reporter John Stepek joins Bloomberg Opinion columnist Marcus Ashworth to debate what’s driving the rally. They also unpack US intervention in the Japanese currency market and explore how a weakening dollar could shape monetary policy in the eurozone.

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On this week’s personal finance edition of Merryn Talks Money, Merryn Somerset Webb and John Stepek break down the insurance cover that really matters as we head into 2026. They’re joined by Kevin Ryan, a consumer insurance expert and analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence, who shares what’s shifting in the insurance market and what it means for your money.

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Pippa Malmgren, chief executive of Geopolitica Institute, joins from Greenland to explain why the Arctic is now at the center of the geopolitical chessboard — from US claims that it needs to take over the Danish territory for national security reasons to how Greenlanders want to remain independent without being “for sale.” She connects the Arctic story to wider shifts: peace talks over Russia's war on Ukraine, strained European alliances, China–Russia dynamics and technological races in space, energy and advanced materials. She also explains what investors should consider as geopolitical risk increasingly becomes market risk.

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