Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days.
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––To get six free issues of The Week magazine and a moleskine notebook visit theweek.co.uk/offer and enter promo code: POD25–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
In this week’s episode, we discuss:
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
TikTok purchases
The social video platform TikTok is teaming up with the Canadia payment company Shopify to create ads with built-in online stores, making it easy - perhaps too easy - for app users to spend their money. Or, given the youth of the TikTok user base, to spend their parents’ money.
Crypto gets a job
In two cryptocurrency-related stories, Paypal that users will be able to buy Bitcoin on its platform - although not to use it directly in purchases - and the investment bank JPMorgan said its own digital currency, JPM Coin is now being used commercially by a big client for the first time. Both developments seem like a step into the mainstream for digital currencies - but both come with heavy caveats.
Green investments
The “Attenborough effect” has reached the world of personal finance, where it is reportedly driving a significant increase in interest in environmentally responsible investments. The asset manager Liontrust, for example, said its sustainable funds had trebled from £2.5bn to £7.5bn since 2017. And it’s not just about doing good: financial advisers say environmentally responsible companies are more likely to be resilient and could have better prospects for long-term growth.
You can subscribe to The Week Unwrapped on the Global Player, Spotify, Apple podcasts, SoundCloud or wherever you get you get your podcasts
-
‘My donation felt like a rejection of the day’s politics’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Trump wants a weaker dollar but economists aren’t so sureTalking Points A weaker dollar can make imports more expensive but also boost gold
-
Political cartoons for February 3Cartoons Tuesday’s political cartoons include empty seats, the worst of the worst of bunnies, and more
-
Will SpaceX, OpenAI and Anthropic make 2026 the year of mega tech listings?In Depth SpaceX float may come as soon as this year, and would be the largest IPO in history
-
Leadership: A conspicuous silence from CEOsFeature CEOs were more vocal during Trump’s first term
-
Ryanair/SpaceX: could Musk really buy the airline?Talking Point Irish budget carrier has become embroiled in unlikely feud with the world’s wealthiest man
-
Powell: The Fed’s last hope?Feature Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell fights back against President Trump's claims
-
Taxes: It’s California vs. the billionairesFeature Larry Page and Peter Thiel may take their wealth elsewhere
-
Buffett: The end of a golden era for Berkshire HathawayFeature After 60 years, the Oracle of Omaha retires
-
Is $140,000 the real poverty line?Feature Financial hardship is wearing Americans down, and the break-even point for many families keeps rising
-
Coffee jittersFeature The price of America’s favorite stimulant is soaring—and not just because of tariffs
