Podcasts from Morning Money at 6:00 related to Economics

Transport for London has approved a new plan to "modernise and improve" London's private hire industry, but it's seen to some as a crackdown on Uber's growth. So are regulators taking aim at disruptive companies to protect the "old guard", or is this another step in integrating innovation into the UK? Matt Cox spoke to tech consultant and analyst, Chris Green, to find out how he sees the situation.

George Osbourne stated in his budget speech on Wednesday, that Britain is "Open for business". Matt Cox spoke to Justin Urquhart Stewart, Co-Founder of Seven Investment Management, about the announcement and what it means for UK businesses.

Greece’s bailout inspectors are to resume talks in Athens, in an attempt to unblock the Greek rescue program. It was only last summer that Greece and the Eurozone agreed on a new bailout deal, so what’s the problem now? Nick Malkoutzis, Editor of the economic analysis website macropolis.gr, joins Sarah Lowther and Chris Bailey to give more on the situation.

Just as the jobless figures in the UK are seen as an important economic indicator, so are US labour market figures. After a robust employment scene towards the end of 2015, job creation has been slowing across the pond. Kully Samra, from US broker Charles Schwab, spoke to Nigel Cassidy in a look ahead to the latest non-farm payroll numbers.

John Longworth, Director General of The British Chambers of Commerce, will today claim that voters have a choice "between the devil and the deep blue sea" in the referendum on Britain's membership of the European Union. John joined Nigel Cassidy and Rachel Winter to talk about the BCC’s stance, whilst also looking ahead to their annual conference: ‘Britain’s Economy: New Dawn or Back to the Future?’.

With the results coming in from Super Tuesday, in which 11 US states have voted to choose their presidential candidates, the pitched battle for the White House between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton is moving closer to becoming reality as both are leaping further ahead in the battleground states. Sarah Lowther has been speaking to Edward-Isaac Dovere, Politico's Senior White House reporter in Washington, about the results.

The Caixin China General Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) for February came in at a five-month low and below expectations. The reading means the sector has been shrinking for a whole year. Meanwhile in Japan, the Nikkei Manufacturing PMI dropped to its lowest level in eight months in February. So what’s going on? Seijiro Takeshita, Professor of Management and Information at the University of Shizuoka, discusses the negative sentiment live from Japan.

The Oscars have taken place in the US. British actor Mark Rylance won his first Oscar with Best Supporting Actor for Cold War drama Bridge of Spies, whilst Leonardo Di Caprio also won his first gong, for his lead actor role in The Revenant. But how does winning an Academy Award help an actors career, and their earnings? Matt Cox spoke to film expert, critic and broadcaster James Cameron Wilson, who explained the confusing system of actor points and whether they really do mean prizes.

The concluding statement issued by finance ministers and central bank governors on Saturday was strong on rhetoric. But the meeting will disappoint the many who called for the G20 to be more active in addressing economic vulnerabilities and risks. So how did it all go down on the markets? David Kuo, CEO of The Motley Fool Singapore, joins Nigel Cassidy and Chris Bailey, Founder of financialorbit.com, to look at the reaction.

The London Stock Exchange yesterday confirmed it was in detailed discussions with its German rival about an all-share merger. The exchanges have considered combining forces before. They agreed to merge in 2000 before a rival bid for the LSE from Sweden’s OM Gruppen scuppered the deal. The LSE then rejected a formal £1.3bn offer from Deutsche Börse in January 2005. So will it be third time lucky? Jasper Lawler, Market Analyst at CMC Markets, joins to discuss.