Podcasts

This is our regular Investment Trust Show in association with Henderson Global Investors. Each week, we discuss the major issues, factors and news that impact on Investment Trusts. In this weeks edition we'll be focusing on investing in Europe. Joining Ed Mitchell of Investment Perspectives in the studio are Rory Stokes, Assistant Fund manager at T-R European Growth Trust PLC and Share Raido's Senior Analyst, Ed Bowsher.

Eight leading economists have weighed into the referendum debate, arguing that the UK would be economically better off outside the EU. One of those economists is Ryan Bourne, Head of Public Policy at the Institute of Economic Affairs. He joins Ed Mitchell of Investment Perspectives to discuss further.

A group of eight leading Economists led by Professor Patrick Minford and Dr. Gerard Lyons have recently launched a campaign, Economists for Brexit which makes the economic case for leaving the EU. To examine their economic arguments Ed Mitchell is joined by John Springford, Senior Research Fellow at the centre for European Reform.

You've heard of fintech, but what about fashion-tech? Clothing store, Topshop, has launched a new scheme aimed at fashion technology start-ups. It partnered up with corporate innovation specialist and early stage investor, L Marks, and Matt Cox spoke to Liberty Mawhood, Chief Operating Officer at L Marks, about the scheme.

The Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged on Wednesday, moving the focus to the next Federal Open Market Committee meeting in June. But the latest FOMC statement is little changed from the last one, and provides no strong clue about the likely decision at the June meeting. So when can we expect an interest rate hike? Richard de Meo, Founder & MD of corporate forex broker Foenix Partners, offered his views.

We all know weddings can cost a packet for the couple tying the knot, but did you know that on average it costs the guests even more? That's according to research by Hitched.co.uk. The average amount of money spent on a wedding -from sending out the invitations to jetting off on the honeymoon- is a staggering £36,000. Caroline Hendry, editor of Hitched.co.uk, joins Georgie Frost

Joining Georgie Frost today on the Consuming Issues News Review, Deborah Hargreaves, founder of the High Pay Centre. Top on the agenda, BHS crisis, state pension, US interest rates and Facebook. Consuming Issues goes out with Georgie Frost every day from 9 to 12 on Share Radio

Retail sales fell at the fastest pace over the last year since January 2012, thats according to the CBI's latest monthly Distributive Trends Survey. Analysts had hoped to see a pick up in growth in the sector and the figures come in the same week as high street retailers BHS and Austin Reed entered administration. Joining Juliette Foster to shed more light on this research is Anna Leach, Head of Economic Analysis at the CBI.

Share Radio's Patrick Jones catches up with our man in Hong Kong, Finbarr Bermingham, Asia Editor of the Global Trade Review, to talk about the future for the Chinese economy considering it's colossal debt levels, collaboration between global banks and what is the 'ISDS' clause within TTIP?

Well let's stay with politics and events north of the border where Scotland's Labour party has unveiled its manifesto for the May 5th elections. Party leader Kezia Dugdale said the document was a "return to the party's roots" and that Labour was the only party "offering an alternative to austerity". Yet with the Scottish National Party enjoying a 30 point lead in opinion polls, can the manifesto woo back those Labour supporters who've defected to the nationalists? Juliette Foster is joined on the phone by our man in Scotland Maurice Smith.