Podcasts presented by Ed Bowsher

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.

It's time for our weekly catch up with Merryn Somerset Webb, Editor in Chief of MoneyWeek. She joined Share Radio's Ed Bowsher on the line to preview articles from this week's issue.

Theresa May is expected to seek a special free trade deal during her trip to the US on Friday. The Prime Minister will be the first foreign leader to meet Mr Trump, and will later address the annual congressional Republican Retreat in Philadelphia. Sir Vince Cable, the former Lib Dem MP and business secretary, said on Twitter today that it's an "Appalling error by May to grovel to Trump for trade deal. He wants to destroy free trade". He joined Share Radio's Ed Bowsher to discuss.

In the final three months of last year the UK economy continued to grow, showing no signs of a Brexit fueled slowdown. Instead of contracting, as many economists predicted, the economy grew by 0.6 percent. Share Radio's Ed Bowsher was joined by Martin Beck, UK Economist at Oxford Economics, to find out the factors behind this growth.

Royal Bank of Scotland has set aside a further £3.1 billion to cover potential fines in the US and the shares have risen today. But Whitbread's share price has fallen 5%, after the owner of Costa Coffee shops and Premier Inn issued a disappointing trading statement, while Unilever's Q4 sales disappointed the market. Richard Hunter, Head of Research at Wilson King Investment Management, spoke to Share Radio's Ed Bowsher about the day's top company stories.

French presidential candidate François Fillon has come under scrutiny for employing his wife as a parliamentary aide. A French newspaper claims the centre right Fillon's Welsh-born wife Penelope earned a total of €500,000 over eight years of employment, but did little work. Share Radio's Ed Bowsher spoke to Vincenzo Scarpetta, Senior Policy Analyst at Open Europe, about the issue.