Podcasts

It's time to talk politics. Today: Philip Hammond has dropped plans to hike national insurance; in the Netherlands, voters are heading to the polls; the chair of the Brexit Committee tells how he got on grilling the Government's Brexit minister today.

View From... Middlesex University looking at what's behind the Fed rate rise, whether the UK and US are failing to confront the long term drives of explosive debt, discussing if Europe is on the knife edge of uncertainty and does America needs a liberal party? Tim Evans, Professor of Business and Political Economy at Middlesex University London discusses all this with Simon Rose.

On today's Market Wrap: plans introduced in the Budget last week, to raise National Insurance contributions for self-employed people, are dropped, UK unemployment falls to lowest levels since 2005, shares in Hikma Pharmaceuticals end the day up around 8% and the drugmaker is the top gainer on the FTSE 100 today after reporting better than expected results for 2016 and much more. Simon Rose was joined by Paul Sedgwick Head of Investments at Frank Investments.

As the Dutch go to the polls today, the right wing VVD party sits in front with the anti-Islamic and Eurosceptic Party of Freedom, headed by Geert Wilders, in second. But what impact will the increasingly fragmented political landscape have on The Netherlands' government? Rem Korteweg, senior research fellow at the Centre for European Reform, joined Share Radio's Ed Bowsher for more.

Another drop in unemployment figures today, down to 4.7% in the three months to January, but wages aren't growing - can the UK solve its productivity puzzle? Ben Kumar from 7 Investment Management joined Share Radio's Ed Bowsher to discuss the biggest economic stories of the day.

Many hoped the US presidency would change Donald Trump. After his first 50 days, it's clear Donald Trump is changing the presidency. For today's Weeks Update, Simon and Professor John Weeks are joined by Michael Zweig, Professor of Economics at State University of New York, Stoney Brook, to reflect on Trump's stay in the Oval Office.

Premier Oil shares were up more than 14% today - but it's only some relief for investors as the pain of previous deals are still reflected in the price. Plus FTSE 100 drugmaker Hikma sees shares rise on good results and Unilever boss Paul Polman calls for changes to takeover rules following Kraft's approach earlier this year. For these and all the day's need-to-know company news Chris Bailey, founder of Financial Orbit, joined Share Radio's Ed Bowsher.

This week Georgie Frost is joined by editor Moira O'Neil and product researcher Adam Williams. With low interest rates forcing more and more people to turn to stocks and shares over cash savings we get Moneywise's top tips whether you've got £50 to invest or £50,000. Plus we'll be getting the Moneywise take on last week's budget and asking whether the NS&I bond lives up to expectation.

Car salesmen are one of the least trusted professions according to new research from the Institute of the Motor Industry. Nearly half of all motorists say they feel under pressure to buy insurance and other financial add-ons when they buy from a dealership or garage. But do buyers even understand what they're being sold, and are these products worth it? To find out our reporter Sara Macham spoke to Steve Nash, chief executive of the Institute of the Motor Industry

It's time to check-in with our friends over at Money Saving Expert. This week Georgie was joined by personal finance writer Sam Mc Faul. With the Easter holidays coming up they look at how to make sure booking your holiday runs smoothly as well as what to do if you've been affected by Virgin Money's recent glitch. Plus all the latest deals the team have come across this week.