Economist Felix Martin joins host Merryn Somerset Webb for this week’s episode of Merryn Talks Money to discuss the common understanding of, well, money. Specifically, why the typical conception of what constitutes it may be inaccurate.

Martin, author of the book Money: The Unauthorized Biography and a former fund manager, says that rather than simply being a token medium of exchange, “money” is in fact “a system of ideas; it is the institution of credits and debts. It is the various technologies which have been developed and deployed for recording credits and debts and for transferring credits and debts from one person or one company to another.”

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Author of the Money Distilled newsletter John Stepek, is joined by Bloomberg Opinion columnist, Marcus Ashworth. Ashworth, covers European markets and was formerly chief markets strategist for Haitong Securities in London.

The pair discuss Japan's bond market and what recent market activity means for decision making at the Bank of England.

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In this week’s episode of Merryn Talks Money, Merryn Somerset Webb is joined by Money Distilled author John Stepek to answer listeners’ burning personal finance questions.

Together, they tackle whether commodities still deserve a spot in your portfolio as the global economy teeters between inflation, geopolitical turmoil and policy shifts. With prices climbing and environmental concerns limiting new supply, is this the new normal or a bubble waiting to burst?

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