Podcasts

On the eve of Small Business Saturday, its Director, Michelle Ovens, joined Share Radio Breakfast to look ahead to the event. Research by the Small Business Saturday campaign found that being our own boss makes us happier. It also said that economic and political uncertainty has failed to leave its mark on the sector. Michelle offered further insight into this.

On this day in 2001, the American energy giant Enron filed for bankruptcy. Enron took accounting fraud to a whole new level, and its demise even led to the disintegration of its accountants Arthur Andersen. Its collapse was the worst business failure in US corporate history to date. Matt Cox has been investigating the causes and consequences of the fall, and the lessons we’ve learnt over a decade and a half later.

On Sunday, Italy holds a referendum. Prime Minister Matteo Renzi wants the power to streamline the country's creaking political system, reducing the power of upper house senators from blocking what he sees as essential economic reforms. But many are predicting he will lose. The worry for the markets is that a large protest vote could give the populist Five Star movement enough momentum to put Italy on a slippery slope to leave the Euro currency zone, plunging Europe into a fresh political and financial crisis. Dijedon 'Doni' Imeri is a country risk analyst for IHS Markit and he joined Share Radio Breakfast.

Oil prices are sitting at their highest level in a year. For now, financial markets seem convinced the Opec cartel's new deal to limit global crude production will stick. Motoring organisations have already warned petrol prices may rise by 9p a litre, adding about £5 to the average cost of filling up a car. But what of Oil's cousin, natural gas. How has the market for that been affected? Matt Cox has been hearing from Edgar van der Meer, Senior Analyst at industry specialists NRG Expert.

Simon and Peter discuss the run-up to the Italian referendum, French Republicans' primary, Mrs May and God, Corporate governance green paper & Investigatory Powers Act, which has just received the Royal Assent

On the Travel Guide we like to take a look at some of the most popular holiday destinations- and speak to a local to get the insider's gen. This week, Olivia Demetriades spoke to Richard Beckerman, a guide for Tours By Locals in New York, and she began by asking what to do if she had a day to spend in the Big Apple.

If you're planning on hitting the slopes this winter - make sure you have the appropriate insurance cover. As thousands of Brits prepare to head off on snow sports holidays, research from ABTA, in partnership with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, shows that a third of us never check whether they have taken out appropriate insurance for the activities they are going to do, including skiing and snowboarding. To find out more about this Simon and Sarah are joined on the line by 'five-time Olympic skier Graham Bell' who is teaming up with the Foreign & Commonwealth Office for the #SkiSafe campaign this winter.

This week on The Share Radio Travel Guide with Simon Rose and travel journalist and author Sarah Tucker. This week, they look at the costs of jet-lag, who to tip, whether to tip and how much to tip wherever you end up on your travels. And the psychology of why passengers line up to wait at the boarding gate long before the flight is scheduled to leave. Also, there'll be an insider's guide to New York. Plus 'five-time Olympic skier Graham Bell' who is teaming up with the Foreign & Commonwealth Office for the #SkiSafe campaign this winter discusses the importance of insurance on skiing holidays.

Chris Thomason author of The Idea Generator joins Simon for our new slot ‘In My Experience’ where he talks about he went from working in mining in Mozambique at the height of the civil war to founding Ingenious Growth a company that helps develop new services and customer experiences.

Annual house price growth slowed to its lowest rate since January. However, according to the Nationwide, there are now signs that demand in the market is beginning to strengthen. Prices in November were 4.4% higher than the same time last year, compared with a 4.6% increase in October. To discuss the findings in more detail, Olivia Demetriades spoke to Nationwide's Chief Economist, Robert Gardner.