Podcasts

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.

The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors is releasing its Commercial Market Survey for the fourth quarter of 2016. It shows investment demand continues to rebound post EU vote. The industrial sector also continues to outperform office and retail, and inducements are on the rise again. To discuss this further, Simon Rubinsohn, Chief Economist at RICS, joined Nigel Cassidy to discuss.

This is In My Experience, where Share Radio's Simon Rose grapples with inspiring stories that shaped careers. On today's programme, Simon was joined by Andrew Faris, CEO of Rhythms of Life - a homelessness charity which operates in Central London, providing nourishment, dignity and comfort to London’s rough sleepers. As a former rough sleeper himself, Andrew's charity has served over 300,000 meals to the homeless.

Seven major European banks are partnering on a new blockchain-based trade finance platform, aiming to launch in the second half of this year. The initiative will be called Digital Trade Chain. KBC, Deutsche Bank, HSBC, Natixis, Rabobank, Société Générale and UniCredit all want to cut transacting costs for European businesses. A Blockchain conference is continuing at the moment in London. Share Radio's James Brydges has been exploring the future of Blockchain with Nick Williams, founder of Credits Vision.

The idea of basic income has been around since the 16th century. Recently, however, there has been a surge of interest in the concept, with Finland as one country currently trialing this form of guaranteed income for its citizens. Can a society really operate when income is guaranteed? Is this the future of society? Share Radio's Simon Rose was joined by Guy Standing, co-founder of Basic Income Earth Network and a Research Associate at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, and John Weeks, Share Radio's economics commentator, for the Weeks Update.

We're only a day on from the Supreme Court's ruling that Parliament and only Parliament has the right to trigger Brexit, and already the gears of Government have whirred into action. Speaking at Prime Minister's Questions today, Theresa May assured Parliament she will give further details of her Brexit vision in a White Paper. Meanwhile, the Prime Minister's Brexit tsar David Davis has made it clear that the Government will not dawdle in seeking Parliament's approval, claiming an Article 50 bill is imminent "within days". So, with a dizzying plethora of Parliamentary processes on the horizon, should the Government expect a smooth ride? And with an Article 50 bill passing through Westminster, how might Labour ? Share Radio's Simon Rose was joined on the line by Dr Luke Cooper, Senior Lecturer in Politics at Anglia Ruskin University and a spokesperson for Another Europe is Possible, and Peter Edwards, Editor of LabourList - self-described as Labour's biggest independent grassroots e-network.

Join Share Radio's Simon Rose as he investigates this and what else has been happening in the bourses and businesses of Britain and the world. To put the day's events in context, he was joined by Garry White, Chief Investment Commentator at Charles Stanley Direct, and Paul Sedgewick Head of Investments at Frank Investments. In today's wrap: the Dow Jones Industrial Average traded above 20,000 for the first time at the start of trading today; WH Smith's travel stores performed well over the holiday period, resulting in the company upgrading its full-year profit forecast; Santander's profits for last year plunged following the EU referendum; and Scotch whisky contributes nearly £5bn a year to the UK economy.

Investment in the UK's automotive industry fell in 2016 after several years of strong growth, according to the head of the industry's trade body. Some investment decisions are also on hold until there is clarity about the UK's post-Brexit trading arrangements. Mike Hawes, chief executive of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, says that investment appears to be falling back. James Brydges has been speaking to David Bailey, Professor of Industry at Aston Business school, and first asked what percentage of cars built in the UK would be exported.

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.

Donald Trump's tweets today have confirmed he will 'build the wall' with Mexico and investigate alleged voter fraud. Does this mean action soon or is it just self-promotion? Sanford Henry, US political commentator, spoke to Ed Bowsher on the Trump presidency to date.