This week Nick talks to Hugh Hendry.

In this special episode recorded in front of a live audience at November's MelloLondon investor event in London. Legendary hedge fund manager and self-styled “Asset Capitalist” Hugh Hendry speaks with Nick about today’s macroeconomic landscape, the psychology of bubbles, and why imagination—rather than pure data—is essential for understanding markets. Hendry reflects on his unconventional career, his philosophy of “playfulness, curiosity and mischief,” and his belief that investors must learn to become “world-class losers” by surviving their mistakes rather than fearing them.

Hendry argues that we are living through a moment of profound uncertainty, shaped by technological singularity fears, social tension, and extreme divergence in economic outcomes. He describes current market conditions as “bubble-like,” fuelled by compressed cycles and narrative-driven risk-taking. He outlines his four-quadrant macro framework—cash, equities, long-duration bonds, and “narrative assets” such as gold, property, private equity, and crypto—and stresses the need for flexible allocation and anti-fragility. Will AI Make Us 10x Richer — or Dead?

Follow Hugh Hendry - https://substack.com/@acidcapitalist

This content is issued by Zeus Capital Limited (“Zeus”) (Incorporated in England & Wales No. 4417845), which is authorised and regulated in the United Kingdom by the Financial Conduct Authority (“FCA”) for designated investment business, (Reg No. 224621) and is a member firm of the London Stock Exchange. This content is for information purposes only and neither the information contained, nor the opinions expressed within, constitute or are to be construed as an offer or a solicitation of an offer to buy or sell the securities or other instruments mentioned in it. Zeus shall not be liable for any direct or indirect damages, including lost profits arising in any way from the information contained in this material. This material is for the use of intended recipients only.

This week Nick talks Katie and Jeremy Prescott

Katie Prescott is the Technology Business Editor at The Times and a weekly columnist for its award-winning business section. A regular contributor to Times Radio and The Times daily podcast, The Story, she is widely recognised following a decade at the BBC, where she reported on technology and business for Radio 4’s Today programme. She hosts The Times Tech Podcast and was named Tech Commentator of the Year at the UK Tech Awards.

In the episode, Nick discusses with Katie and her father Jeremy the story behind Katie’s debut book, The Curious Case of Mike Lynch. Drawing on Katie’s reporting for The Times and Jeremy’s long career in the City, the conversation traces Lynch’s journey from a prodigiously talented outsider to the founder of Autonomy, once one of Britain’s most celebrated technology companies, and into the complex, decade-long legal battles that followed its £11bn sale to Hewlett-Packard. Together, they unpack the culture of Silicon Fen, the pressures of public markets, the blurred lines between aggressive growth and alleged fraud, and the profound personal and professional consequences that culminated in the tragic final chapter of Lynch’s life.

Katie and Jeremy's Book Choices where:
Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe
The Day of the Jackal by Frederick Forsyth
Fall by John Preston
Bad Blood by John Carreyrou

Katie and Jeremy's Music choices where:
Charles Trenet - Boum
Charles Trenet - La Mer

This content is issued by Zeus Capital Limited (“Zeus”) (Incorporated in England & Wales No. 4417845), which is authorised and regulated in the United Kingdom by the Financial Conduct Authority (“FCA”) for designated investment business, (Reg No. 224621) and is a member firm of the London Stock Exchange. This content is for information purposes only and neither the information contained, nor the opinions expressed within, constitute or are to be construed as an offer or a solicitation of an offer to buy or sell the securities or other instruments mentioned in it. Zeus shall not be liable for any direct or indirect damages, including lost profits arising in any way from the information contained in this material. This material is for the use of intended recipients only.

This week Nick talks to Charles Skinner

Charles Skinner is a leading authority on Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition (ETA). As CEO, he transformed a £3m business into a £100m exit and grew another company’s value 30-fold to £300m, earning AIM Company of the Year in 2016. He is currently the CEO of Restore PLC, and the author of Buy, Run, Build: A Guide to Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition. Charles also advises the ETA search fund Mentmore Associates and chairs four private companies.

Nick and Charles discuss Charles Skinner’s unconventional career path, beginning in investment banking before moving into venture capital, journalism and ultimately discovering his strengths in running and improving real businesses. Charles reflects on how he gradually shifted away from finance-led roles towards hands-on leadership, realising he was far more interested in building companies than simply analysing them. He and Nick explore the early stages of his journey, including lessons learned from missteps, the appeal of smaller operational businesses, and the importance of understanding people, staying humble and learning from failure.

They then turn to the rise, challenges and rebuilding of Restore, the company most associated with Charles’s leadership. Nick and Charles also explore themes such as entrepreneurship through acquisition, decentralised leadership, motivating teams, and managing crises with transparency and decisiveness. Charles illustrates these ideas with candid stories about leadership errors, boardroom politics and the importance of “running towards the gunfire” when problems arise.

Charles’s book choices were:
The Practice of Management by Peter F Drucker
https://www.worldofbooks.com/en-gb/products/practice-of-management-the-book-peter-f-drucker-9780434903894

Parkinson's Law by C Northcote Parkinson
https://www.worldofbooks.com/en-gb/products/parkinson-s-law-book-c-northcote-parkinson-9780140023664

Charles’s music choice was:
Bach: The Goldberg Variations played by Glenn Gould
https://open.spotify.com/album/1aCpHSQE5ghxibsQ5gkBe0

Charles' Book - Buy, Run, Build: A Guide to Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition - is available here

This content is issued by Zeus Capital Limited (“Zeus”) (Incorporated in England & Wales No. 4417845), which is authorised and regulated in the United Kingdom by the Financial Conduct Authority (“FCA”) for designated investment business, (Reg No. 224621) and is a member firm of the London Stock Exchange. This content is for information purposes only and neither the information contained, nor the opinions expressed within, constitute or are to be construed as an offer or a solicitation of an offer to buy or sell the securities or other instruments mentioned in it. Zeus shall not be liable for any direct or indirect damages, including lost profits arising in any way from the information contained in this material. This material is for the use of intended recipients only.