Podcasts

In the final episode of the current series of Policy Matters, hosts Franz Buscha and Matt Dickson talk to Sandra McNally, Professor of Economics at the University of Surrey and Director of the Centre for Vocational Education Research. When it comes to education, much of the public debate and media attention focuses on the traditional academic route of A-levels and University. But what about the 50% of young people who don’t ever go to University – what are the options for them and are they as consistently neglected by policymakers as they are by the media and wider public? Sandra explains the vocational route compared to the academic pathway and discusses the merits of vocational qualifications, highlighting recent evidence on their labour market returns. Franz, Matt and Sandra go on to discuss how the structure of the UK economy, the incentives for training and the priorities of young people and employers interact within the vocational system, asking what could be done to improve this education route for young people and older workers who wish to continue learning.

The Bank of England has moved interest rates to their highest level in almost a decade. If you’ve got a mortgage, it might get more expensive. If you’ve got savings, you might get a bit more interest on your money. Does this tell us anything about what the Bank of England thinks is going to happen to the economy? And was it the right decision? Ayeisha Thomas-Smith speaks to Alfie Stirling, head of economics at the New Economics Foundation.

With power struggles within Parliament dominating the headlines, it’s all too easy to forget the bigger picture of our departure from the EU. Yet, with public consultations opening up about our first bilateral trade agreements, this debate is continuing – though perhaps not getting the attention it deserves. Today we’re joined by Shanker Singham, Director of the IEA’s International Trade and Competition Unit, and Senior Policy Analyst Dr Radomir Tylecote. They examine these consultations, what it could mean for business – and what the government should be doing to give firms more certainty and help them prepare for the future. Finally, they examine public opinion towards free trade. If recent polling is anything to go by, the public mood is decidedly anti-protectionist – just as it was in the 19th century, when free exchange triumphed over mercantilism in the battle of ideas.

Ian Forrest of The Share Centre looks back at numbers from HSBC, Intercontinental Hotels Group and Cineworld and looks ahead to what we might expect when Kingfisher reports.

James Cameron-Wilson looks at the re-energised UK box offce with Ant-Man and The Wasp sneakily managing to grab the No. 1 slot from Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again! He also reviews two home releases, both of which he heartily recommends, Steven Spielberg's Ready Player One and Francois Ozon's L'Amant Double.

Economist Andrew Kenningham of Capital Economics discusses the world economy with Simon Rose. How big a deal is the burgeoning trade war? What will happen next? How healthy are the Chinese and American economies? Where do the risks lie? And how will the UK fare with the Brexit outcome still uncertain?

Steve Caplin takes us to the coldest place in the universe (only 250 miles away), gives us the chance to try out an Iron Man-style flying suit and tells us about a new scheme for renting phone batteries, how the French are banning smartphones at school and how the bubble car is making a return. He also discusses a chess board which moves the pieces automatically, a website for calculating quantities for groups big and small and what's wrong with ant emojis.

Want to keep up with the latest earnings updates from the States? Well, join Chris Hill and the Motley Fool Radio Show team here on Share Radio, direct from Washington DC, for news, views and analysis of the US stocks that matter. In this week's show: Apple reaches a trillion-dollar milestone; Baidu faces a Google-sized potential competitor; Blue Apron fails to deliver; And Red Robin and TripAdvisor lose altitude.

Interest rates have finally risen above 0.5 per cent for the first time in almost a decade. The Bank of England has decided that the UK's economy is healthy enough to finally get above the financial crisis emergency level, but was the hike a wise move or a mistake. Of those in favour, some have been calling for a rate rise for a long time, others believe we must try to get back to normal before recession hits. But those opposed believe even this tiny shift up to a very low base rate level of 0.75 per cent, is a gamble too far from the Monetary Policy Committee's ratesetters. On this week's podcast, Simon Lambert, Lee Boyce and Georgie Frost dive into the rate rise. Why did the bank hike rates, who will it affect, why do interest rates even move up and down and how did they end up at 0.5 per cent in the first place? Also on this week's show, Lee introduces us to the world of micro-saving, we discuss the case of the financial adviser who suddenly ask for £10,000 more and Simon tries to show he is down with the kids who are making money by selling on Depop.