Podcasts

The latest Reuters Housing Market Poll was released earlier today and it predicts that annual house price growth for the whole of this year will be 4.7%. It also predicts that house price growth will drop to just 2% next year, with prices falling slightly in London. Simon was joined by Russell Quirk, chief executive of online estate agents Emoov.

The ECB has given a policy decision today: its quantitative easing (QE) programme will be scaled back from €80bn to €60bn a month. For some, this looks a lot like a taper - and, when the US embarked on such a policy in 2013, markets balked, interpreting the move as a harbinger of the end of ultra-loose monetary policy. Is QE being wound down? For this story and others shaping markets today, Share Radio's Ed Bowsher was joined in the studio by Tom Stevenson, Investment Director at Fidelity International.

The chairman of Sports Direct, Keith Hellawell, has slammed critics after unveiling a 57% fall in the retail giant's adjusted profits. Hellawell claimed that an '"extreme political, union and media campaign" had damaged Sports Direct's reputation. For more on this story, Share Radio's Ed Bowsher was joined on the line by Henry Croft, Research Analyst at Accendo Markets.

It's time for our catch up with MoneyWeek, previewing the best of the bets of this week's articles from the magazine. Joining Share Radio's Ed Bowsher today is Cris Heaton, Executive Editor of MoneyWeek, and they discuss the trends that will shape 2017, the best investment ideas of the year, the rising tide of protectionism, & more.

Workers in the British Steel industry got some good news this week, after Tata Steel announced plans to continue production at the Port Talbot steelworks. Tata Steel's put forward plans to save thousands of jobs at plants across the UK. Workers will vote on the deal which will see the Indian firm invest in its British business instead of selling it. But workers will have to agree to pensions cuts.Chief executive Bimlendra Jha says that'll help rebalance a scheme which has 130,000 members, but just 10,000 still paying into it. To find out more about this, Share Radio's Ed Bowsher spoke to Dominic King, the Head of Policy and Representation at UK Steel, a trade body for the steel industry.

In a crucial Westminster vote yesterday, MPs backed the Government's Brexit timetable - with the caveat that Theresa May should publish her negotiating strategy before triggering Article 50. But not all MPs were onside: 89 voted against the government including 23 Labour MPs. One of those MPs was Ben Bradshaw, Labour MP for Exeter and former Culture Secretary.

Christmas is a time for sharing and caring but the majority of us won't visit our elderly relatives on Christmas Day - according to a new study - despite a fifth of us worrying about them being alone then. One woman has made it her mission to make sure no one loses out throughout the year. Share Radio Morning's Georgie Frost spoke to Devika Wood, the co-founder and Chief Medical Officer at care provider Vida. Her personal experience of caring for her grandmother and dealing with par social service’s carers, has driven her to want to improve the quality of care.

Georgie Frost is joined in the studio by consumer editor of Good Housekeeping, Sara Benwell. Today they discuss coffee shop saturation on the high street. Plus a look into junk food ads aimed at children becoming a thing of the past. All these stories and more on The News Review.

Christmas cards may be going out of fashion...but one group of disabled artists say this is threatening their livelihood. 'Show you care - send a card' - is the message from the Mouth and Foot Painting Artists. Every year the MFPA print their original artworks on Christmas cards. But as the tradition for sending physical cards is in decline, so too does their business. Georgie spoke to Rosy Moriarty Simmonds OBE in the studio and MFPA artist Andy Baker on the line.

Legal disputes are costing small firms in England and Wales a whopping £11.6 billion each year. That's according to the Federation of Small Businesses who say nearly three quarters of those issues are down to late or non-payment. Georgie Frost spoke to FSB Policy Director Martin McTague to find out more.