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Manufacturers of electric cars are racing to secure supplies of Cobalt, a metal used to make batteries that power electric cars. That's because a number of hedge funds have hoarded 6000 tons of the material, worth 280 million dollars. To find out what's going on, Share Radio's Ed Bowsher was joined by Simona Gambarini, Commodities Economist at Capital Economics.

Welcome to the This is Money and Share Radio Podcast, brought to you in partnership with NS&I. It’s been a mixed week of results for the banks with HSBC seeing sliding profits whilst Lloyds has undergone something of a comeback with a rebounding share price. Is it fair for HSBC to point the finger at market conditions or does the success of its rivals prove it’s scapegoating? Meanwhile we’re also seeing a divide among savers as the gap between the richest and poorest households grows. Looking through the figures Georgie Frost is joined by Editor Simon Lambert and Consumer Affairs Editor Lee Boyce. Plus we look at the domestic challenges for the UK car industry and find out how to spot a rare coin.

RBS has today recorded nine years of losses, with the latest £7bn loss taking the bank's total losses since 2008 to £58bn. That's more than the £45.5bn taxpayer-funded bailout. But can the bank reverse the trend and turn a profit next year? Craig Erlam, senior market analyst at OANDA, joined Share Radio's Ed Bowsher on the day's big company news, including BA’s parent group and betting company William Hill.

During an interview, Donald Trump called China the 'grand champion' of currency manipulation, causing a fresh row between the two countries. This allegation was rejected by a Chinese government spokesperson who defined the country as the 'grand champion of economic development.' To find out more about this, Share Radio's Ed Bowsher spoke to Professor Steve Tsang, Director of the SOAS China institute at London University.

EU Brexit negotiator Marcel Barnier said that trade talks should not be carried out at the same time as negotiations over departure terms. German and Italian officials are now backing Barnier's approach. Professor Richard G. Whitman, Director of the Global Europe Centre and Professor of Politics and International Relations at the University of Kent, joined Share Radio's Ed Bowsher to discuss.

Despite RBS announcing a huge £7bn loss, more than expected, could underlying performance for banks be on the up? Share Radio's Ed Bowsher was joined by Guy Foster, head of research at Brewin Dolphin, to explain this and more of the day's big economic stories.

Last night the Labour party lost the Copeland by-election to the Tories. The Party managed to hold their seat in Stoke On Central but its vote share fell by around 2%. Asa Bennett, Assistant Comment Editor at The Telegraph joined Share Radio's Ed Bowsher to discuss these results.

This is The Business of Sport with Share Radio's Michael Considine. Each week he provides you with the inside track on the world of sport. On today's show Michael talked about UK Sport's decision to reject the appeals of seven sports to reinstate funding, including Badminton - bronze medalist in Rio Chris Langridge gave his reaction. Plus, Michael was joined by Nick Howson from the International business times to discuss the FA cup debate over the relationship between sport and gambling. Finally, the"This Girl Can" campaign is back with a sequel and Lisa O'Keefe from Sport England spoke about what they are hoping to achieve with the new edition. Of course, Alex Clark has extra time.

Georgie Frost was joined by Hannah Maundrell, Editor in Chief at Money.co.uk. Today on the agenda, they discussed how the Royal Bank of Scotland has reported a massive £7bn annual loss, for the ninth year in a row. Plus they look into why workers in the UK are putting in billions of pounds worth of unpaid overtime every year. All these stories and more on The News Review.

Legislation for the first phase of the HS2 high-speed rail project has passed its final hurdle. The parliamentary Bill to construct the line from London to Birmingham has now received royal assent, meaning building work can now begin. Sim Harris, managing editor of railnews.co.uk, joined Nigel to discuss the project.