This week, Steve W harps on about Gousto boxes, Paul talks endlessly about thumbing it in, and Steve D reports on various car crashes. Plus some stuff about stocks. Only on the Playing FTSE Podcast.

After three goes at recording the introduction, the boys hit their stride with that rarest of all things -- a game developed by Paul! The Steves consider how exposed different companies are to different factors in a game brought to you by Genuine Impact. Then it's onto some UK news as the dividend efficionados discuss the UK's proposed increase to dividend taxes from 2022. Steve W leads out on Boston Beer, after its recent struggles around earnings and Paul talks about everything that's wrong with Beyond Meat. We finish with Steve D offering the second most rare of all things -- a UK IPO of a company that might be worth getting excited about!

In a super slow, quiet week in the market, the guys make their own news. Starting off with an extended version of this week's game based on short interest - be sure to play along at home and let us know how you do. Afterwards it's ALL stocks with Steve W covering the best company for delivering peanut butter, Briscoe talks insurance and Steve D whittles on about a gravel company with a PE in the 40's! Only on this week's episode of the PlayingFTSE podcast.

In a quiet week in the stock market, the boys talk about ETFs and Index Fund investments. Legendary investor Warren Buffett recommends that people should put their money into an S&P 500 ETF (or invest into indexes more generally). Find out if the boys agree in this week's Playing FTSE! We begin with Steve W's ETF game, where the boys discuss the pros and cons of Catholic Values and the costs associated with using ETFs to make a bet on Colombia. Then it's on to some more general thoughts about the prospects and perils associated with buying an index or an ETF rather than looking directly at individual stocks. Find out how much Paul, Steve, and Steve know and what processes they go through to work out whether or not an ETF is right for them. 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’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!

This week Kasper (Briscord founder) has had a birthday! He's now 21. In his honour, Steve W has put together "Are You Smarter Than a 21 Year Old?" Paul and Steve D to battle to see if they can outsmart Kasper or each other. Then it's on to Berkshire Hathaway earnings to see what Steve W is looking for in assessing Warren Buffett's chances of outperforming the S&P 500 going forward. After that, it's a round of stocks we're looking at on our watchlists. Paul talks about Hargreaves Lansdown's business model, Steve D tells us about Nintendo's tumbling share price, Steve W talks about Compass Minerals and their massive moat. Lastly, Steve D gives us a whistle-stop tour of GoodRX's earnings, like Teladoc, but faster.

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!

Is Colon Capital a SPAC? Find out as we play Talking Smack or Talking SPAC? Steve D’s been busy on SPACtrack, so find out whether Paul can finally win one as we play this week’s game. 

With the latest game out of the way, we turn to some FTSE news. Find out which FTSE company has been the target of an acquisition at 180% of its market cap, what Steve W thinks about the potential deal and what we think of the run of bids for UK companies from their US counterparts. 

After this, it’s on to some earnings reports. We start with Playing FTSE favourite Tesla, where Steve D tells us what it’s like being in a self-driven Tesla and Paul tells us what he’d get up to in the back of someone else’s. Our other earnings report is Berkshire Hathaway. This hasn’t happened yet, but Steve W is excited and he’ll tell you why. 

Lastly, it’s FINALLY time for us to come good on a promise to answer Equity Investor’s question about how to evaluate drug pipelines. Serious faces on as we talk about how we try to make sense of the prospects for unapproved drugs that we haven’t heard of, couldn’t spell, and are generally ill-qualified to come to an informed judgement on. 

Why does Paul watch so much kids TV? What has been happening to ASML lately? And which Chinese company would Steve W buy if he had to? The answers to all of these and more are in this week's Playing FTSE podcast!

With the band back together, Paul and the Steves pile into Chinese investments, earnings reports, and SPACs. Starting with the situation with Didi and the Chinese government, the boys discuss the risks of Chinese investing and how to approach them. Along the way, find out what Steve D would buy in China if forced to. 

Then it's on to earnings as reports have been coming in thick and fast. Find out what Paul has been looking at in the Netflix reports as the boys discuss Netflix, Unilever, and ASOS. 

Next is an update on what's been happening in the world of SPACs and Bill Ackman's latest deal. PSTH is back to looking for a target to merge with. And Steve W (yes Steve W) has his eye on some SPACs of his own...! 

We finish with a Steve D game as Briscoe and Steve W put their stock market knowledge to the test on CEOs, exchanges, and more!

No risk it no biscuit? This week the Playing FTSE podcast takes a look at how to figure out how risky a stock is BEFORE you buy it. Steve D’s been busy having a look at the Motley Fool’s risk calculator and developed a series of 25 straightforward yes/no questions to help you assess risk by looking at intrinsic facts about the company, its leadership, its competitive position, and some other factors. In this episode, Paul and Steve W have a look at some of their holdings and think about the risks that they’re willing to take. Paul looks at Broadcom, NanoX, and Rio Tinto. Steve W talks about Landstar System.

Download our risk calculator here on Google Sheets and play along - get your own version by hitting the menu button, share and export and then make a copy.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1RxRBU7PHT2Co8oUViFyy9J1xY5LS4n-61vybI02WJM8/edit?usp=drivesdk

This week on the Playing FTSE podcast, SVEN CARLIN IS IN THE HOUUUUUSE! Steve D takes a rest as Paul and Steve W talk with the author of Modern Value Investing on personal finance, investing, stocks, and markets. We talk about Sven’s early days of investing and find out what the first stock Sven ever bought was, what he thinks about the UK and the wave of new investors entering financial markets for the first time, and play our new quick-fire game Sven Carlin or Sven Carlout!