Share Sounds. presented by Ed Bowsher

The number of first-time home buyers in the UK surged to its highest level since the start of the financial crisis in 2016, despite the average cost of a first home surpassing the £200,000 mark for the first time ever. A report published by Halifax shows that 7.3% more buyers entered the market last year. Share Radio's Ed Bowsher spoke to Charlie Campbell, Investment Analyst at Liberum Capital, for more on this.

The US Environmental Protection Agency has accused Fiat Chrysler of using software that allows cheating on its diesel emissions. The news comes only a day after Volkswagen, involved in a cheating scandal last year, reached an agreement to plead guilty to criminal charges and pay a $4.3bn criminal fine to the US government. Share Radio's Ed Bowsher was joined on the line by David Bailey, Professor of Industry at Aston Business School, for more analysis.

Tata Steel is clearing the way for a merger with German conglomerate ThyssenKrupp. Tata's UK pension scheme is a key roadblock to the merger because the pension scheme holds some of Tata's dutch assets as security. Tata is now proposing to pay 'hundreds of millions' into the scheme to solve this problem. Joining Share Radio's Ed Bowsher on the line to explain this further is independent pensions consultant John Ralfe.

Craig Erlam, Senior Market Analyst at OANDa, joined Share Radio to discuss the latest company results: ITV shares are up today on the back of a Goldman Sachs note saying ITV could be a primary target for Liberty Global; Fiat Chrysler gains after yesterday's big falls caused by the EPA accusation of installing secret software that allow vehicles to emit more pollutants than above legal levels. Sales growth climbs for pub group M&B after strong Christmas and UK'S largest estate agency group countrywide expects a slowdown in 2017.

Leading Blairite MP, Tristram Hunt, has announced his resignation from the House of Commons to take up the role of director of the Victoria and Albert Museum. This unexpected move from the former Shadow Education Secretary will trigger a by-election in his constituency in Stoke. Share Radio's Ed Bowsher spoke to John Rentoul, Chief Political Commentator at The Independent, for his view.

Welcome to the Share Radio News Hour with Ed Bowsher. It's been a bumpy ride for Sterling again today; we're seeing increased volatility as the market awaits May's next big Brexit speech on Tuesday. Right now the pound is pretty much flat at $1.22. The FTSE has also been fairly volatile today, but right now, it's firmly up at 27 points at 7319, and is on track to continue its winning streak for 14 consecutive days. China's phenomenal export machine has hit a snag on fears of a US trade war. In just a minute, Ed will discuss all three stories and more with Jeremy Stretch, Head of G10 FX Strategy at CIBC. On the companies side of things, ITV's share price has been boosted by a positive note from goldman Sachs. Shares in pub group, Mitchells and Butler, are also on the up after a positive first quarter. Ed will be getting comment from Craig Erlam at OANDa in about 15 minutes. In politics, leading Blairite Tristram Hunt has said he's going to stand down from Parliament. Ed will speak to John Rentoul from the independent for his take. And finally, Fiat is the latest manufacturer to face emissions cheating allegations. Industry expert, professor David Bailey, will explain what this means for the car industry. All that and more on today's edition of the Share Radio News Hour.

Jeremy Stretch, Head of G10 FX Strategy, CIBC, joined Share Radio to talk about today's macro stories: sterling volatility reached its highest level since October, ahead of May's Brexit speech on Tuesday, and the FTSE set another record high. We discussed Chinese 2016 falling by 7.7 percent, and whether Trump's proposed tax cuts could threaten America’s triple-A rating. Finally a view on ministers proposing new corporate criminal laws and Spanish inflation jumping to 1.4 percent.

Time now for our regular weekly programme "The Investment Trust Show" brought to you in association with Henderson Global Investors. Each week we explore the main features, factors and developments affecting investment trusts at the moment. This week we'll be looking at new years investment resolutions and we'll also look at research which shows that investment trusts generated growth of 57% over the last three and a half years. Share Radio's Ed Bowsher was joined by two great guests today: Dice McCairn, Editor of WhichInvestmentTrust.com and Ian Sayers, Chief Executive, Association of Investment Companies.

London's premier position in the financial markets has, at least in part, been built on easy access to Europe. So will London will remain a major financial centre once we leave the EU? Financial lobby group The City UK has released its key priorities for this transition and its director of Policy and Strategy, Gary Campkin, joined Share Radio's Ed Bowsher on the line.

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.