Podcasts related to Economics - UK

Energy suppliers are allegedly making larger profits than they admit. The Sun Newspaper claimed they could be making a 24% profit margin, almost six times higher than figures provided by regulator Ofgem. The newspaper based its claims on a PwC report commissioned by Energy UK. Energy UK rejects the claims saying they were "a misrepresentation of facts". But now Business Secretary Greg Clark has started an investigation. To get a clearer grasp on the situation and the upcoming investigation, Matt Cox spoke to Senior Analyst at NRG Expert, Edgar van der Meer.

Diane Coyle, Founder of Enlightenment Economics and Professor of Economics at the University of Manchester, who’s also former advisor to the UK Treasury, joined Share Radio Breakfast to speak about the Festival of Economics, which she is programming, which is taking place in Bristol.

Scotland could attempt a Norway-like model of EU membership. The idea emerged in a leaked memo, where it seems the Scottish government is considering European Economic Area membership as a possible way to maintain links with the block. To find out if this could be a viable way for Scotland to remain in the EU, Matt Cox spoke to Share Radio's Scotland correspondent Maurice Smith.

With Black Friday and the busiest shopping period of the year approaching, research from Barclaycard has revealed that frustrated consumers are turning their backs on the high street. As a result, retailers are facing growing pressure to improve their in-store experience, or risk losing out on sales. To discuss this, Paul Lockstone, Managing Director at Barclaycard, joined Share Radio Breakfast.

The number of people visiting our high streets and shopping centres has fallen for the second month in a row. Overall, retail footfall in October was 0.4% lower compared to the same time a year ago, but it was still better than September's fall of 0.9%. This is according to the latest BRC-Springboard Footfall and Vacancies Monitor, which found that customer traffic in shopping centres fell for the ninth consecutive month. Despite this, the 1.8% drop signalled an improvement on September's 2.5% drop. To discuss the findings in more detail, Simon Rose spoke to Diane Wehrle, Marketing and Insights Director at Springboard

How messy is your desk? If it is covered it clutter, then it could be standing in the way of a promotion. A study has found almost a third of people admit to having a packed workspace. Almost one in ten bosses say they'd think twice before promoting an employee who had an untidy desk. For more on this, Sue Dougan was joined on the line by Phil Jones from office supplier Brother UK.

Household debt in the UK has soared to a record high. We now owe an average of £30 thousand pounds each in household debt, according to figures from the Money Charity. This is mainly from mortgages and credit debt. To find out more information, Sue Dougan is joined on the line by Money Charity's policy and communication officer Frank Hobson.

As Christmas is creeping up on us quickly now, it can take a toll on your finances. As much as we love the mince pies and bottomless glasses of Bailey's it can be a very stressful time - not least because when you add it all up, it's a super expensive time of year. It doesn't always have to be though as Nick Hill explains.

Sue Dougan is joined in the studio by Hannah Maundrell editor in chief of money.co.uk. On the agenda today, as we head towards the winter, we are being warned to brace themselves for a rise in their energy bills. Elsewhere, Visa says consumer spending increased by 2.5% in October compared to the same month last year. Plus, Amazon is in the news again after being ordered to pay back the parents of children who made in-app purchases on mobile devices. All these stories and more on The News Review.

October saw a minimal decrease in available jobs from the previous month, highlighting the City's resilient nature in the face of post-Brexit alarmist rhetoric. London's picture is often different to the rest of the country and might have different needs, like for instance retaining passporting to continue the number of overseas operations. Hakan Enver, Operations Director at Morgan McKinley Financial Services, joined Share Radio to discuss this and other issues around London employment.