Podcasts

The OPEC nations have agreed their first cut in production since 2008. The alliance of oil production companies have agreed to reduce production by around 1.2 million barrels a day, with Saudi Arabia set to shoulder the biggest portion of the cut, as well as agreeing to accept Iran continuing to produce at its pre-sanction level. Simon Rose was joined live from the OPEC conference in Vienna by energy expert Peter Bild.

Growing fears for the UK economy has caused consumer confidence to fall. It's that time of the month when GfK's consumer confidence barometer is released, and it recorded a 5 point drop this month, with all categories measured experiencing a decline. Among the results was the forecast for personal finances over the coming year, dropping four points, and the general economic situation measure falling six, which is 19 points lower than November last year. As always when we discuss GfK's consumer confidence barometer, Simon was joined live in the studio by Joe Staton, their head of market dynamics.

2017 has been a good year for the small company index AIM, to date up 12% as compared to 8% for the FTSE All-Share. Why have small companies been fairing so well? To find out, Share Radio's Steve Clarke was joined in the studio by David Thornton, Editor of Growth Company Investor.

This is a brand new edition of The Apprentice Investor. Regular listeners to the programme will know that our Apprentices are five members of the Share Radio team who've each been given fifteen thousand pounds of virtual money to build their own share portfolios. They're allowed a minimum of eight stocks from different sectors which they've been buying and selling through the Share Centre. Our Apprentices under the spotlight today are Alexi Phillips and Valsa de Winter. Want to start investing yourself? Check out The Investment Trust Show: https://audioboom.com/channel/shareradio-investmenttrustshow

It seems young women appear to have the magic touch when it comes to starting successful businesses. According to new research, 'young businesses' run by those women under 35 are three times less likely to make a loss than those owned by over 55's. To get the inside story Sue Dougan was joined by Bianca Miller, Apprentice finalist and founder of The BE Group.

Consumer writer Megan French from Money Saving Expert gives some advice for those affected by the collapse of GB Energy as well as discussing the pros and cons of PayPal for online Christmas shopping. Plus we have a roundup of the best deals the team have found this week.

Vulnerable jobseekers are being tricked into losing money in fake job applications or scammed into paying for fake police checks, visas, travel and training, which are not required. That's according to study, which found that scams reported in the last year have risen by a whooping 300 percent. To find out how to avoid the scams Georgie Frost spoke to founder of the CV Centre James Innes.

4.5 million Brits wouldn't report a crime in their area due to the risk of devaluing their home or making it more difficult to rent--that's according to new research from Direct Line. The insurance company also found that a third of prospective buyers would ask for a discount on a property or reduction in rent if it turned out to be in a high-crime area. To discuss the findings Sue Dougan was joined by Steve Jackson from Direct Line.

How great would it be if we were like Tortoises and could just pick up our entire home and relocate somewhere else? An Estonian design collective Kodasema have created stylish portable pre-fabricated homes. They're 250 square feet and come with a living room, bath and storage on the lower level and a loft above. Our reporter Mary Newman spoke to CEO Taavi Jakobson to find out more.

How much would it cost you to feed say 8 people for Christmas? £100? maybe even £200? Good Housekeeping's annual Christmas dinner price index just released today has revealed that you can feed eight people for as little as £20 or £2.48 per head. To find out how Sue Dougan spoke to Sara Benwell, Good Housekeeping's consumer editor.