Investors' Chronicle

Lord Lee and Alex are joined by Lawrence Hutchings, in his final interview before his surprise exit from Workspace.

It may be dry January for some, but this week we are settling down with the pub companies amid a raft of news for the sector in recent days. Mark Robinson is here to discuss the bumper Christmas periods that many in the sector enjoyed, the imminent U-turn on business rate hikes likely to be announced by the government in the days ahead, the US activist putting the pressure on Marston’s (MARS) and more.After that we turn our attention to one government reform that’s not being reversed – the Renters’ Rights Act is due to come into force this year, and that puts pressure on landlords to comply. Holly McKechnie will explain what that means for the rental market, and also talk us through the other changes coming in that could have an even bigger impact on buy-to-let properties.Lastly, we look at gene sequencing device maker Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT), one of the 2021 UK IPOs that have done especially badly, but which has shown some signs of life in recent months. Julian Hofmann will examine the company’s full-year trading update for clues to its future prospects.Timestamps00:00 Intro01:06 Pubs winter rally14:20 Renters' Rights Act26:26 Oxford NanoporeRead the articles highlighted in the show:Mitchells & Butlers: Pricier pints power profit growthDoes it still pay to be a landlord?Oxford Nanopore returns to growthInvestors' Chronicle has supported private investors in the UK for over 160 years by highlighting rewarding investment opportunities. Investors' Chronicle is a service by the Financial Times. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we’re kicking things off with one of the big company stories of early 2026 – for a number of reasons. It was a busy December for BP (BP.), which junked its chief executive and made progress with some divestment plans. Alex Hamer and Mark Robinson are here to discuss what the imminent arrival of new boss Meg O’Neill might mean for the group and its strategy, all in the context of a dramatic start to the year in which the US has seized control of oil supplies from one of the founding members of Opec.We will also touch on the wider commodities outlook for the year, before moving on to asset allocation in general – our big read this week is all about diversification, why it matters even if you have a high risk tolerance and high risk appetite. Val Cipriani will talk us through the ins and outs later on.To wrap up, we look at the UK company that, it turns out, has been the subject of 11 bids over the past four months. That’s struggling online platform Auction Technology (ATG), whose shares rebounded this week as news broke. Valeria Martinez will discuss what’s next for the business.Timestamps:0:49: BP's new CEO19:3: Diversification strategies31:05: Auction TechnologyRead the articles highlighted in the show:The complete guide to diversifying your portfolioBP announces surprise CEO changeBP heads further upstream after Castrol saleInvestors' Chronicle has supported private investors in the UK for over 160 years by highlighting rewarding investment opportunities. Investors' Chronicle is a service by the Financial Times. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s a week before Christmas, which means only one thing around these parts: our bumper double issue hits the shelves on Friday 19 December. In it, we look ahead to all things 2026, and we’re doing the same thing here today with our first segment. In a moment we’ll be taking a close look at the FTSE 100’s runaway performance this year and asking whether it can continue over the next 12 months. With a little bit of a glance across the Atlantic, too. Alex Newman will talk us through things.After that, we turn to much shorter-term prospects. Because it’s Christmas, Mark Robinson has explored the origins of the Santa rally, and gets into the detail of when exactly we might expect one to take place this year, and why.To wrap up for the year we finish with a special interest story of sorts: Holly McKechnie is here to discuss why crypto assets’ existential crisis, legally speaking that is, may have finally come to an end.Timestamps:0:59 FTSE's big year16:57 The Santa Rally26:15 Crypto ownership regulationInvestors' Chronicle has supported private investors in the UK for over 160 years by highlighting rewarding investment opportunities. Investors' Chronicle is a service by the Financial Times. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Val and Madi discuss how to invest ethically and what the impact might be on your portfolio