Podcasts related to Economics

New study suggests we will spend around 1.9 billion minutes on the internet on Christmas Day. Findings from the charity, Save The Children also shows over half of us are more likely to send texts to friends or family than Christmas Cards. But how much social media time is actually over the top? To discuss this further, Sue Dougan was joined by Helena Wiltshire, head of public relation for Save The Children.

The mince pies and Panettone are already in the supermarkets and that can only mean one thing, Christmas is edging closer. But as exciting as it is, paying for the big day can be hard on the pound in our pocket. Nick Hill from independent Money Advice Service is joins Sue Dougan to give us tips on how to keep our personal finances in order.

A new report by KPMG for the Department of Transport suggests privatising the Ship Register would help attract more shipping companies to Britain. UK shipping accounts for less than 1% of global tonnage and the UK-registered fleet has shrunk by 18% in the past five years. The report claims a part-privatisation would give British shipping greater commercial freedom and could help the country compete on the global stage after Brexit. Share Radio's Robert Van Egghen reports on Britain's return to the open waves.

New figures show that the arm sales industry in the UK last year increased 2.8%. BAE Systems, the biggest manufacturer here in the UK and third biggest worldwide saw sales rise to 25.5 billion dollars, in part from Typhoon combat aircraft exported to Saudi Arabia. Share Radio's James Brydges has been speaking to Aude Fleurant, from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, that compiled the figures.

This week Marc looks at the idea that 'Money is the root of all evil' and out obsession with wealth and materialism. Diana Chambers, the family wealth mentor joins Marc to discuss this idea and what religion has to say on the subject of money.

An increasing number of official bodies have been describing anti-fracking campaigners as "extremists" in response to a controversial Government strategy designed to prevent people from becoming terrorists. Councils, schools and police forces have listed anti-fracking campaigns in documents about the Prevent programme, which is part of the national counter-terrorism strategy. Green Party peer Baroness Jenny Jones has said she will push the Government to stop the police and local councils from using Prevent to "intimidate people who are objecting to their local water supply being threatened by the frackers" Share Radios Matthew cook spoke With Baroness Jenny Jones to find out more.

Welcome to the This is Money and Share Radio podcast, brought to you in partnership with NS&I. Are we seeing the end of an era for ultra cheap mortgages? HSBC is withdrawing its record low 0.99% deal which could usher in a new wave of price hikes. It’s not just mortgages undergoing price hikes though. Rail fares are set to rise 2.3% whilst growing commuter dissatisfaction with poor service has prompted Transport Secretary Chris Grayling to devise a new plan for better management. In the end though train times might be the last of our problems as we hear about one financial expert predicting major financial Armageddon just around the corner. Could we be in for the worst crisis yet? And what can people do to prepare? Gold is being tipped as a favourite but certainly not spread betting which is currently undergoing a crackdown. Georgie Frost is joined by Personal Finance Editor Rachel Rickard Straus and Consumer Affairs Editor Lee Boyce to find out more about this potential money meltdown. Also this week we take a look at Money Mail’s annual Wooden Spoon Awards and see which of Britain’s shambolic businesses have made it onto the shortlist.

Georgie Frost is joined in the studio by Tom Church, Co-Founder, LatestDeals.co.uk. Today on the agenda, they discuss food price increases – apparently being blamed on a potential shortage of EU workers. Plus, the National Grid agrees to sell a majority stake in its gas pipe network. All these stories and more on The News Review.

Concerns have been raised after the National Grid decided to sell a majority stake in its gas division. A consortium led by Australian bank Macquarie will buy a 61% stake in the UK's gas infrastructure network, that values the business at about £13.8bn. But public services union, Unison, says that their tax structure is an area for concern, and that profits will take precedence over maintaining the pipelines. James Brydges spoke to Matthew Lay from Unison, but first heard from Dr Jonathan Marshall from the Energy Intelligence unit.

Helen Thomas, Managing Director of BlondeMoney, joined Share Radio Breakfast for the first instalment of her new slot each Friday. She's a blogger, worked in the city for George Osborne, and loves policy, politics and finance. This week, Helen discusses Mario Draghi and the ECB meeting on Thursday. The ECB president warned of a year of 'big uncertainty' for the Eurozone as voters go to the polls in Germany, France and the Netherlands.