Podcasts

It's time to talk politics. Today: G7 rejects fresh sanctions on Russia after deadly chemical attack; Labour has been on a small business charm offensive.

Emerging Opportunities is the only show on your radio dedicated to global emerging markets. Today: why you should think about investing in Afghanistan.

Today: political "known unknowns" in the European political scene this year could unleash market turmoil; and investing as a private individual can be a lonely occupation - but there are investment clubs and larger organisations which bring private investors together.

UK inflation stayed steady at 2.3% in March, following rises in recent months. The biggest month-on-month rises were in food, but the figure was held down by low air fares. Given that inflation is above the Bank of England's 2% target, does that mean that the Bank will want to act soon and raise rates? And was last summer's cut to 0.25% a mistake? Ed Bowsher was joined by Ruth Gregory, UK Economist at Capital Economics to discuss further.

The pound has climbed a little on the same day that latest UK inflation data was released, showing consumer prices rose 2.3% in March, holding steady from February. To understand the latest currency market moves, Ed Bowsher spoke to Dennis de Jong, Managing Director at UFX.com.

The G7 has rejected Boris Johnson's call for further sanctions against Russia for its continued support of the Assad regime. It follows news that Theresa may and Donald Trump have agreed there is a 'window of opportunity' to put pressure on Russia to abandon Assad. To discuss the latest political news, Ed Bowsher was joined by John Rentoul, Chief Political Commentator at The Independent.

London has recently been crowned joint fintech capital of the world alongside Singapore maintaining its lead in the sector. The news comes as London hosts a treasury backed international conference this week aiming to showcase what it has to offer and attract investors. Speaking to share Radio's Tom Hill founder of London Fintech Week and Blockchain Conference, Luis Carranza, explains why the city is so important.

Barclaycard has published its consumer spend data for March today showing spending up 4.6 per cent year-on-year last month. The first quarter saw record rises in supermarket spending in January - 2.9 percent - and in the amount spent on petrol - 19.2 percent in February. To find out more about the figures Sue Dougan was joined by Paul Lockstone, Managing Director at Barclaycard.

JD sports has seen an 80% rise in pre-tax profits - and shares are on the up - but other's aren't so lucky, with Shell bogged down in a possible corruption scandal around its Nigerian oil licence. For more of the latest company news, Ed Bowsher was joined by Paul Sedgewick, Head of Investments at Frank Investments.

Financial heavyweights Lindsay Cook and Andy Webb join Sue in the studio and look at the rise of leasehold properties, and tell you everything you need to be aware of when buying one. Plus, they discuss how you can use gifts to cut down your inheritance tax bill. And which bank gets the Sucker Punch this week?