Podcasts presented by Ed Bowsher

Theresa May's encountered a wave of criticism as Donald Trump announced his controversial immigration policy just hours after the PM met the US president on Friday. And the PM is meeting leaders from Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland to talk Brexit - for more on these, Share Radio's senior analyst Ed Bowsher was joined by Maurice Smith, Share Radio's Scottish correspondent.

Donald Trump's controversial immigration ban on people from seven Muslim-majority countries caused a public outcry and left markets jittery. Can court action make a difference? And what concessions have been made so far? For more on exactly what was in the legislation, Share Radio's Ed Bowsher was joined by Chris Gilson, editor of a US politics blog at the London School of Economics.

Vodafone's confirmation that it's in talks to merge its Indian subsidiary with a rival have triggered a 2% rise in the share price. Meanwhile shares in engineering firm, WS Atkins are up 5% after an American firm made a takeover approach. And German inflation data is out - is this good news for the key European economy? Ken Odeluga, market analyst at City Index, joined Ed Bowsher to discuss the big economic and company stories of the day.

The EU is the biggest market for UK exports - and failing to secure a good trade deal post-Brexit will be a major issue for cities across the country. Can other deals pick up the slack? Or does the UK have to get good access to EU markets? The latest report from thinktank the Centre for Cities focused on exports in the UK's 62 biggest centres and Paul Swinney, principal economist at the centre, joined Ed Bowsher to expand on their findings.

Tesco's announced a £3.7bn planned merger with Booker group, a wholesaler and owner of Budgens and Londis convenience store brands, where are share prices today? While in the US, Google's parent company Alphabet reported Q4 profits were worse than expected but sales were up - and Starbucks failed to meet same store sales expectations. Carla Mozée, Markets Reporter at MarketWatch, joined Share Radio's Ed Bowsher to talk through today's big company stories.

A £3.7bn takeover deal between Tesco and Booker, a food wholesaler and owner of the Londis and Budgens brands, is on the table. What's the rationale behind the move? Ahead of a major finance meeting, Chancellor Philip Hammond has said the UK will be an engaged EU member until it leaves - what does this mean for any US trade deal? And BT profits slide 37 percent. Jasper Lawler, Senior Market Analyst at London Capital Group, joined Ed Bowsher, Share Radio's senior analyst, for more on the day's biggest economic stories.

A third of the UK's richest taxpayers are under investigation by HM Revenue and Customs, which could total almost £2 billion in underpaid tax. It's figures like these that have spurred MPs to call for a stronger stance on taxing the wealthy. Public Accounts Committee chair Meg Hillier says HMRC's claims about the success of its high net worth strategy "just don't stack up." Richard Murphy, Professor of Practice in International Political Economy at City University of London and Director of Tax Research, joined Share Radio's Ed Bowsher to discuss.

The fourth quarter US GDP figures have been released, which tell us how the US economy is performing. Figures came out at 1.9% annualised rate in the final three months of 2016, weaker than the rate that economists forecasted. Wall Street had expected the world’s biggest developed market to expand at a 2.2% pace, compared with 3.5% in the third quarter. Michael Hewson, Chief Market Analyst at CMC Markets, joined Share Radio's Ed Bowsher for his immediate reaction.

Two Labour whips have said they will refuse to vote in favour of the Article 50 bill, this after Labour Frontbencher Tulip Siddiq resigned over the vote. Can Jeremy Corbyn unify his party through this divisive vote? Asa Bennett, Assistant Comment Editor at the Telegraph, joined Share Radio's Ed Bowsher to discuss.

Britain's economy grew by 2 % in 2016 but will the growth continue into 2017? While in Europe, Spain backs early trade talks in Brexit negotiations. And the Royal Bank of Scotland has earmarked a further $3.8bn (£3.1 billion) to cover US fines for mis-selling subprime mortgage securities, taking the total figure to £6.7bn. Michael Hewson, Chief Market Analyst at CMC Markets, spoke to Share Radio's Ed Bowsher on these and all the day's big economic news.