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Despite repeated assurances that Labour would not break its election manifesto by hiking income tax, it appears it is now under consideration by the Chancellor in the Autumn Budget. Why is Rachel Reeves mulling over this U-turn, how much would it cost us, and would she really dare to do it? Angharad Carrick, Helen Crane and Georgie Frost discuss. Speculation over a 'mansion tax' in the Budget has also reared its head again. The team discuss whether it's a good idea to tax people with pricey homes, and how on earth HM Revenue & Customs would decide whether someone's house is worth more than £2 million or not. Elsewhere, some good news in store, as Goldman Sachs has predicted the Bank of England will cut interest rates at its meeting next week. Does fading inflation and sluggish growth mean this is now on the cards, and would the Bank dare to make a move before the Budget beast is unleashed? The team discuss. They also look at why we're now paying three times the energy standing charges that we were six years ago, and why some chocolate biscuits can no longer call themselves chocolate.

2025 has been the year of AI capex (so far). Companies have been announcing huge spending increases and signing deals to secure critical supplies like semiconductors for years into the future. So far, the market has responded well to these announcements. Except today when Meta announced the most ambitious AI capital spending plan of the Magnificent 7 companies and the market blinked. Tyler Crowe, Matt Frankel, and Jon Quast discuss Meta’s ambitious spending plan sending the stock down, Microsoft’s and Alphabet’s earnings and outlook getting mixed reviews, one year without Brian Niccol at Chipotle, and one year with Brian Niccol at Starbucks. Companies discussed: META, GOOG, MSFT, CMG, SBUX, AMZN. Host - Tyler Crowe; Guests - Matt Frankel, Jon Quast

Microsoft has agreed to a deal that will allow OpenAI to become a for-profit company, likely paving the way for an IPO. The tech giant’s stake will be worth $135 billion and comes with another $250 billion in cloud computing revenue. We also discuss recent jobs news and the future of AI in transportation and medicine. Travis Hoium, Lou Whitemand, and Rachel Warren discuss Microsoft’s $135 billion OpenAI stake, rolling lay-offs in Corporate America, and NVIDIA’s deals in robotics, aviation, and medicine. Companies discussed: Microsoft (MSFT), Amazon (AMZN), Target (TGT), NVIDIA (NVDA), UPS (UPS). Host - Travis Hoium; Guests - Lou Whitemand, Rachel Warren

“With the cost of the Jaguar LandRover hack approaching nearly £2 billion, this now stands as the single most economically damaging cyber incident the UK has ever seen — and it should serve as a wake-up call for every board and public body in the country. This isn’t just a technical failure but an economic and operational resilience failure". With over twenty years of experience in information technology and cybersecurity, Simon Onyons brings deep expertise in financial regulation, cyber strategy and operations to help organisations strengthen their security posture and resilience. Simon also serves as Senior Advisor to the UK National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), where he works on the NCSC Advisory Group to support national initiatives aimed at improving cyber resilience across the UK, and he continues in this role while at Kroll.

For those unfamiliar with Schrödinger’s Box: a sealed box contains a cat which can release a gas that would kill it — but has it done so? Until the box is opened, it's all in the imagination. All possibilities exist until they are observed. Such multiple outcomes can exist in hypnosis, although not in reality: so, Adam Cox takes alternative journeys to help people resolve dilemmas which are presenting challenges.

James Cameron-Wilson says that October could be the worst for cinema since the late 1990s, despite the high quality of many films. Docudrama #1 Springsteen:Deliver Me From Nowhere is enjoyable, if not emotionally engaging. #2 Regretting You is a mother and daughter drama with great acting but the annoying screenplay makes the characters' lives unnecessarily difficult. He laughed more than he should have done. He loved All Of You on Apple TV+, with Imogen Poots and Brett Goldstein friends in a near-future world. It's a lovely, dramatic, fresh and charming film. He also recommends seeking out the prescient S1m0ne from 23 years ago, with Al Pacino digitally creating an actress.

Steve Caplin says that the massive Amazon outage was caused by nothing more than an empty data record. Google has been providing misleading information on pensions and driving licences. There's a clever AI military helmet. Customers of Starling Bank have a new way of avoiding scams. A device attached to your lavatory can monitor your gut health. A German company is offering to 3D-print personalised bike saddles, if you can translate its website. Scientists have found that the most expensive TV screens are pointless. And battery-grade lithium is now being mined in Cornwall.

Neil Shah of Edison group feels that Primary Health Properties, which does what it says on the tin, will benefit from the takeover of Assura. 80-90% of its income is backed by the government so the shares can be compared to gilts, except that the company will produce growth and rising dividends. It's on a prospective yield of 7.7%. He is also upbeat on the UK market. American investors are looking for value, yield and safety outside the US and, despite all the doom and gloom, there are positive signs in the UK. Neil thinks there will be a Santa rally this year.