Podcasts

Shares in manufacturers Bombardier and Siemens have jumped on reports they are in talks about merging their train-making businesses. Bombardier's shares rose nearly 7% while Siemens' shares hit a record high before easing back. Talks between Bombardier, a major supplier of London Underground trains, and Siemens started earlier this year, according to media reports.

According to RICS, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, residential sales in the UK are lacking 'impetus'. Their latest residential market survey suggests that new buyer enquiries and sales have remained flat in the March and stock levels hit a record low as the number of properties coming to market continues to decline.

Costs are the biggest threat to growth, BCC says. According to the British Chambers of Commerce's latest economic survey, the manufacturing sector is performing strongly so far this year. However, the rising cost of overheads and raw materials are presenting a risk to growth in the medium term. So what can businesses expect in the next quarter?

The supermarkets are full of chocolate bunnies and the daffodils are in full bloom - it can only mean one thing: the Easter holidays are just around the corner. It also means investors can forget about jittery markets for a while, as European stock exchanges will close for a four-day spring break.

This is In My Experience, where Share Radio's Simon Rose grapples with inspiring stories that shape careers. On today's programme, Simon is joined by Jerry Hayes - former Conservative MP, barrister & political commentator. Full of tall tales of unspeakable debauchery, Jerry provides a thundering account of the offbeat lunacy of Westminster, Fleet Street and his life.

It's time to talk politics: top diplomats from Russia and the United States are meeting in Moscow to try to work out differences over Syria.

On today's Wrap: Tesco unveils its first rise in UK sales for seven years while operating profits, which reflects the performance of the business, have broken through the £1bn mark, wage growth slips below the rate of inflation - putting a squeeze on household spending power, profits at bookseller and stationer WH Smith rise 3.75% over the last six months and much more. Sarah Lowther is joined in studio by Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell.

Could Brexit push Britain out of the Space Race? UK companies are concerned that they could be frozen out of lucrative European space contracts once Britain has left the EU. That's because Brussels has laid out new terms for the multi-billion euro "Galileo" satellite navigation system. These terms mean the UK would have to negotiate new security relationships to keep working on the project post-Brexit. To discuss this more Ed was joined by Professor Martin Barstow, Director of the Leicester Institute of Space & Earth Observation.

Foreign governments, such as Russia and China, may have been responsible for the collapse of a voter registration website in the run-up to the EU referendum, that's according to the House of Commons public administration and constitutional affairs committee. To find out more, Ed spoke to John Ashmore, Chief reporter at Politics Home.

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.