Share Sounds

A £2.2bn takeover deal has been agreed between Amec Foster Wheeler and Aberdeen-based Wood Group, creating a £5bn energy services company. And the pound has picked up today despite increasing uncertainty - for more on the big market stories of the day, Share Radio's Ed Bowsher spoke to Mike van Dulken, head of research at Accendo Markets.

It's nearly a week since the Budget, but the dust hasn't really settled yet. The Chancellor's decision to raise one of the National Insurance rates that self-employed people pay isn't going down well in many quarters. So what does the Budget mean for you?

A survey by Grant Thornton showed that of 5,500 businesses in 36 economies, the proportion of women in senior management has reached an all-time high of 25 per cent, up 1 percentage point from 2016, and up 6 percentage points since the survey began in 2004. Share Radio's Sara Macham spoke to Kate Cooper, Head of Research, Policy & Standards at the Institute of Leadership & Management, to find out how the UK fared in the survey compared to other countries.

Last week the Chancellor announced £500m worth of investment into technical education as part of the budget. Amongst the changes we'll see the introduction of new T-level qualifications aimed at teaching vocational subjects. To find out more about the investments being made Sarah Pennells spoke to Petra Wilton, Director of Strategy and External Affairs at the CMI.

It's the kind of thing we don't want to have to think about, and dealing with a whole load of forms and numerous different companies is probably the last thing you want to do when your loved one has died. There are a number of things to consider though, not least changes to bereavement benefits which could leave thousands of widows and widowers worse off. Sarah Pennells is joined by Alastair McQueen from pensions and insurance provider Aviva, David Samson of turn2Us, which specializes in benefits advice and help and James Ward, Partner and Head of Private Clients at Seddons.

A new phone scam has been hitting the headlines lately. People are being warned to hang up their phones if someone asks ‘can you hear me?’. The supposed con started in the US last month with experts warning it is set to sweep the UK with fraudsters tricking people into saying ‘yes’ to swindle you out of huge amounts of money. But is this a genuine threat? Tony Neate is the CEO of the organisation Get Safe Online and joined Sarah to explain more.

Sarah Pennells was joined by independent money expert Martyn James this morning. Today on the agenda, they discussed the thousands of workers on Southern Railway, Merseyrail and Arriva Trains North. Plus they look into why average rents across the country have fallen for the first time in more than six years. All these stories and more on The News Review.

To go through all the political headlines this morning, Sarah Pennells was joined by political journalist Natasha Clark. And the story of the Brexit bill rumbles on. Reports have been circulating that Ministers expect MPs to reject changes made by the House of Lords. Liam Fox has said it would be bad for the UK if the country failed to secure a Brexit deal with the European Union. But Boris Johnson has said leaving the EU without a deal on Brexit would be 'perfectly OK'.

Joining Sarah Pennells to discuss the latest market headlines was Share Radio's very own Nigel Cassidy starting with how Bovis Homes have been doing this morning. Plus Nigel explains the news that HSBC has a new chairman.

Today, Alcohol duty is on the increase, Chancellor Philip Hammond announced that duty on alcohol would rise in line with inflation during the Spring Budget speech much to the dismay of many hospitality businesses. So what does this mean politically, for the consumer and the industry? Nigel spoke to Larry Nelson, Publisher & Editor of BrewersGuardian.com to discuss further...