Podcasts presented by Ed Bowsher

Tesco's results today were mixed with same store sales rising 0.9% even though pre-tax profits fell 39% due to exceptional costs arising from the accounting scandal in 2014. For more on these results Ed spoke with Ben Kumar of 7 Investment Management.

US Airline United are at the centre of a social media storm after a video emerged of them dragging a man from a flight and apparently injuring him in the process. The internet was quick to vent vitriol at the company on Twitter, Facebook, and elsewhere. So what kind of damage do these social media reactions cause companies? And can they control the fire of internet user anger? Matt Cox asked Dan Appleby, Head of Client Services at social media marketing agency Drummond Central, and the North East city head of the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising, to find out more.

UK inflation stayed steady at 2.3% in March, following rises in recent months. The biggest month-on-month rises were in food, but the figure was held down by low air fares. Given that inflation is above the Bank of England's 2% target, does that mean that the Bank will want to act soon and raise rates? And was last summer's cut to 0.25% a mistake? Ed Bowsher was joined by Ruth Gregory, UK Economist at Capital Economics to discuss further.

The pound has climbed a little on the same day that latest UK inflation data was released, showing consumer prices rose 2.3% in March, holding steady from February. To understand the latest currency market moves, Ed Bowsher spoke to Dennis de Jong, Managing Director at UFX.com.

The G7 has rejected Boris Johnson's call for further sanctions against Russia for its continued support of the Assad regime. It follows news that Theresa may and Donald Trump have agreed there is a 'window of opportunity' to put pressure on Russia to abandon Assad. To discuss the latest political news, Ed Bowsher was joined by John Rentoul, Chief Political Commentator at The Independent.

JD sports has seen an 80% rise in pre-tax profits - and shares are on the up - but other's aren't so lucky, with Shell bogged down in a possible corruption scandal around its Nigerian oil licence. For more of the latest company news, Ed Bowsher was joined by Paul Sedgewick, Head of Investments at Frank Investments.

UK inflation has kept steady at 2.3% the latest data reveals. To understand the impact this will have on UK prices, and more of the big news of the day, Ed Bowsher was joined by David Stubbs, Global Market Strategist at JP Morgan Asset management.

New evidence suggests the Bank of England may have been involved in the Libor rigging scandal. A secret recording from 2008 uncovered by the BBC suggests that the UK's central bank pressured commercial banks to push Libor rates down during the Financial Crisis. Libor is the rate at which banks lend to each other, setting a benchmark for mortgages and loans for ordinary customers. In one section of the recording, Senior Barclays manager Mark Dearlove speaks to Libor submitter Peter Johnson, telling him: "The bottom line is you're going to absolutely hate this... but we've had some very serious pressure from the UK government and the Bank of England about pushing our Libors lower." Ed Bowsher was joined by Chris Justham of 7IM.

With less than two weeks remaining before the French Presidential Election, the race has become a four-way contest, with the far-left candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon overtaking the conservative Francois Fillon in the latest polls. Independent Emmanuel Macron and National Front Leader Marine Le Pen are still in the lead in the polls, both with 24%, but who will win in the end? For her thoughts, Ed Bowsher was joined by Aarti Shankar, Policy Analyst at Open Europe.

Jeremy Corbyn has pledged to increase the national living wage to £10 an hour within the first months of a Labour government, a rise that would benefit nearly 6 million workers. But is it enough to sway voters in the next general election? For this and more of the day's political news, Ed Bowsher was joined by Robert Colvile, Editor of CapX.