On this week’s Playing FTSE Podcast, find out what Steve D is six series into, what Paul thinks about Squid Games, and what Steve W might have used the Oxford Owlery for. 

In a busy earnings week, we kick things off with a round of WHOTube? Devised by Steve D, watch Paul and Steve W attempt to identify some (more) famous YouTubers from the sound of their voices. Paul and the Steves talk about who they regularly listen to and struggle to identify some others in a game where the sound messed up so Steve D had to put extra effort into stitching in back together again. Be nice in the comments. 

Next is the Netflix earnings report. The report was strong, with beats on EPS and (net) subscriber additions, and revenue in line with expectations. We discuss the streaming service’s results and its prospects. Paul talks about computer games, Steve D talks about Squid Games, and Steve W talks about Disney.

With the news that Jack Ma is visible again, we turn to Alibaba, owned by Steve W and Paul. One of them is up on the stock, one of them is down. Paul speculates about where the price is going, Steve W speculates about the Chinese government, and Steve D talks about Stalinist Russia.

Christmas is coming and the possibility of lockdowns loom large. With COVID cases on the rise, we talk about how the eventuality of another lockdown might affect us at work and at home. Steve W talks about virus variants and testing inconsistencies, Steve D talks about working from home, and Paul talks about Tesla’s share price.

In yet more news this week, payment processor Paypal is in late talks to buy social media site Pinterest. With an offer understood to be in the region of $70/share, we attempt to make sense of the deal and figure out what’s in it for both sides. Steve D talks about the potential synergies between the two companies, Steve W talks about the valuation of Pinterest implicit in the deal, and Paul forgets what he meant to say about the deal. 

Lastly, it’s on to Facebook’s upcoming name change. With an announcement that a change of name is imminent, we talk about the significance of the move. Paul discusses the metaverse, Steve W discusses the switching costs, and Steve D discusses Snapchat’s earnings, which were released while the show was being recorded.

What has Steve W been doing at the weekend? What does Steve D think is positive for everyone in the semiconductor industry? And why is Paul thinking of getting into Intel? This week’s game is from Steve W, who’s been looking at some ESG scores for The Only Way is Ethics. Paul and Steve D guess at the respective ESG scores from companies as diverse as Kimberly-Clark, JP Morgan, Total, and Diageo. The game throws up some interesting facts and leads to some interesting reflections about how important ESG considerations are, how they are assessed, and how companies might seek to artificially inflate their ESG scores. Along the way, Steve D shares some reflections on his historic Aviva holding.

Next it’s on to the recent news. On the subject of Jeff Bezos and William Shatner’s recent trip into space, Paul and Steve D think about the PR credentials of the Amazon founder. Somehow that turns into a discussion of what Paul and the Steves have been watching on the TV lately. Steve W talks about the moral of the story from Squid Game (look out for that as a future Playing FTSE game) and Steve D notes the impending legal case against Netflix from SK Telecom.

Meanwhile, it’s earnings season again! This week the big banks, led by JP Morgan reported their earnings. With the banks generally doing well on EPS as reserves for bad loans are released, Bank of America—owned by Steve W—also put up a strong showing in Q3 revenue. The other major report comes from Taiwan Semiconductor, in a sector much more familiar to Paul and Steve D. Find out why Steve W is staying out of Taiwan Semiconductor and why Paul likes the sector more generally.

We finish this week with Bitcoin. Find out why Paul thinks he has the edge on Charlie Munger in this space, why Steve W is pro owning bitcoin as a trader, and what Steve D thinks is stopping people from buying cucumbers with cryptocurrency. Only on this week’s Playing FTSE Podcast!

What’s on both Steve D and Steve W’s list of things to watch and isn’t a stock? What’s bigger than Paul thought? And what does Steve D think is the most anticlimactic thing in the world? Find out the answers to all of these things on this week’s podcast!

This week, the show opens with a preview of the Playing FTSE merchandise that’s now available in our online store! We start off with a discussion of the big issue of the day—whether hoodies should have pouches or pockets—as we unveil the range of clothes that Steve D’s designed for the show. Link below for those who want to join in the action. That’s swiftly followed by a dramatic game of “it’s gross!” as Steve W and Paul take on a game attempting to guess (blindly) at the gross margin of companies of all different types. This is a good one—you don’t want to miss it.

From a tense, dramatic, and exciting game to an issue that is none of those things. The debt ceiling in the US. Paul and Steve D sort out the issue, so check out why they think this is something that you should be aware of but shouldn’t be interested in, despite Steve W’s feeble attempt to pound some interest into the story. 

Moving on, it’s over to Facebook. With the stock down 12.5% this month, we take a look at everything that’s going on there. Whistleblowing, outages, and threats surround the company at the moment, but Steve W thinks this might be approaching an interesting point. Meanwhile, Steve D is as interested in Facebook as he is in the debt ceiling. 

On the subject of battered stocks and regulatory pressure, we turn our attention to Alibaba and the news that Charlie Munger has been adding quite substantially to the Daily Journal’s already quite substantial holdings in the Chinese online retailer. BABA stock is down 46% this year and is attracting attention from value investors. As we think about who’s buying what in these areas, find out which superinvestor Paul views negatively! 

We close out the show with remote working. As Boris Johnson warns that people who choose to work remotely might either be gossiped about or miss out on promotion opportunities, three people who are appalling candidates for promotion and not interesting enough to generate gossip sit and discuss how remote work affects them. Only on this week’s Playing FTSE!

This week, Manchester's Marco Polo joins the show for a special guest appearance! With Damien from "Damien Talks Money" on board, the boys set about discussing the week's news in stocks and stock markets. Find out who thinks that ASOS is "a real buy", what "the wooden spoon of investing" is and who's been headhunted to work as a HGV driver. Only on this week's Playing FTSE!

Special guest Damo has a Game-O for the lads. Join in as the Paul and the Steves try to guess ticker symbols -- watch Paul confidently get one entirely wrong and Steve W confidently get one entirely right. In the first game with more than one round, it's then onto trying to figure out which high profile investors are even more wrong than we are about everything.

Next on the agenda is the rumour that some changes to student finance are in the offing. With the idea that going to university might be more financially demanding in the near future in mind, the boys set about discussing their time at university, whether going made financial sense for them, and whether going now would make financial sense. Find out why Steve W would still go and special guest Damien wouldn't. UK retailers ASOS and Boohoo take up the next part of the show. Both stocks have been down lately and both have attracted some interest from various panelists. Steve D talks us through UK retail with Damo doing some victory laps around selling Boohoo to some unsuspecting retail investor. Why does nobody buy t-shirts in the rain? Find out here...

Rounding out the show is Tritax Big Box -- a UK REIT that's recently been catching the eye as a result of a funding raise on Primary Bid. Paul and Damien are the experts on this stock, while the Steves chuck in some observations about REITs and funding. Should investors in Tritax be worried? And how much exposure to Amazon does the company have? Find out here.

Apologies for any confusion - the previous 6 episodes are available through YouTube as it was originally an exclusive - however - we're here now too due to popular demand! 

This week find out who smashed their finger with a hammer, who tried to stir a pan with a lid on and who got kicked in the balls. We open up this week with Steve W coming through on last week's promise to deliever a game called "Apple, Google, or Amazon". For a bonus point, see if you can guess which are the two companies that have a Triple A debt rating from S&P.

Moving swiftly onto this week's headlines find out the boys opinions on the energy crisis. With the UK running short on natural gas, the boys discuss the future for low cost green energy suppliers, what will happen next, and whether this is an opportunity for Hydrogen to step up to the plate.

We finish with Evergrande - is this doomsday for the stock market, is there anything worth being frightened about or is it all a lot of crap? On the way we discuss trivial subjects such as debt, property speculation, and the value of democracy.

What’s been going on in the financial world and why should anyone care? Find out as we dive into the latest news and try to figure out what any of it means. We talk about stocks, markets, politics, and loads of other things in a way that’s accessible, light-hearted and (we hope) entertaining. For the people who know nothing, by the people who know even less. Enjoy!

What is the difference between Microsoft and EasyJet? Why doesn't Paul want no scrubs? And what has George Soros been buying? Find out in this week's Playing FTSE! We start this week with a game from Steve D, as Paul and Steve W attempt to guess what superinvestors have been buying during Q2. Then it's on to a discussion of airlines. In a week where EasyJet has opted to raise cash by issuing shareholders with rights to buy an additional two thirds of their current holdings at a substantially discounted price, Paul and the Steves take a look at the company, the industry, and give their idea about where there might be an opportunity to do some buying in this sector. Lastly, it's on to the timely subject of buybacks and the news that Microsoft has joined the rest of the big tech brigade in buying back substantial quantities of shares. Find out what the boys make of this in this week's episode!