Podcasts presented by Sarah Lowther related to History

2016 has been a strange year for IPOs. Political and economic uncertainty worldwide has caused some companies including Misys to cancel their initial public offerings, while others, like GoCompare and FreeAgent, are bucking the trend and listing on the stock exchange. So why is the climate good for some and not so for others? Matt Cox has been speaking with Jasper Lawler, Market Analyst at CMC Markets, to find out.

It seems the Square Mile is being hit by more so-called ransomware attacks than anywhere else in the UK. Ransomware is the digital equivalent of highway robbery. Precious company data is stolen or encrypted, and will not be returned in a readable form unless a ransom is paid. Data from specialists, Malwarebytes, found the City suffered 670% more such attacks than the next nearest area - Manchester. Chris Boyd, Malwarebytes’ intelligence analyst, told Share Radio’s Nigel Cassidy that ransomware attacks are nothing less than a modern day protection racket.

For fans of Rock and Roll, August 16th marks a significant day. On this day in 1977 the world learned of the news that Elvis Presley had died. Despite his passing, his music career hasn't ground to a halt. According to Forbes, the Presley estate earned an estimated $55million in 2015. So just how successful has his posthumous career been? Joe Aldridge investigates.

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.

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.