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Welcome to the This is Money and Share Radio podcast, brought to you in partnership with NS&I. This week we ask just how high the FTSE could go in 2017. With the New Year bull run still in full swing is now the time to invest or could the current record be too good to be true? Meanwhile the FTSE might be rising but the pound continues to slump to its lowest levels since the 2008 crisis. Good news for exporters at least whilst even Mark Carney’s admitting Brexit won’t be quite as bad for the country. So just where does all this leave the devaluing pound in your pocket? To find out Georgie Frost is joined by Editor Simon Lambert and Personal Finance Editor Rachel Rickard Straus. Also on this week’s agenda they look at the latest retail figures, Halifax’s statistics on first time buyers and the new powers allowing the tax man to spy on your online activity. This is Money is presented by Georgie Frost in partnership with NS&I.

The number of first-time home buyers in the UK surged to its highest level since the start of the financial crisis in 2016, despite the average cost of a first home surpassing the £200,000 mark for the first time ever. A report published by Halifax shows that 7.3% more buyers entered the market last year. Share Radio's Ed Bowsher spoke to Charlie Campbell, Investment Analyst at Liberum Capital, for more on this.

The US Environmental Protection Agency has accused Fiat Chrysler of using software that allows cheating on its diesel emissions. The news comes only a day after Volkswagen, involved in a cheating scandal last year, reached an agreement to plead guilty to criminal charges and pay a $4.3bn criminal fine to the US government. Share Radio's Ed Bowsher was joined on the line by David Bailey, Professor of Industry at Aston Business School, for more analysis.

Tata Steel is clearing the way for a merger with German conglomerate ThyssenKrupp. Tata's UK pension scheme is a key roadblock to the merger because the pension scheme holds some of Tata's dutch assets as security. Tata is now proposing to pay 'hundreds of millions' into the scheme to solve this problem. Joining Share Radio's Ed Bowsher on the line to explain this further is independent pensions consultant John Ralfe.

Craig Erlam, Senior Market Analyst at OANDa, joined Share Radio to discuss the latest company results: ITV shares are up today on the back of a Goldman Sachs note saying ITV could be a primary target for Liberty Global; Fiat Chrysler gains after yesterday's big falls caused by the EPA accusation of installing secret software that allow vehicles to emit more pollutants than above legal levels. Sales growth climbs for pub group M&B after strong Christmas and UK'S largest estate agency group countrywide expects a slowdown in 2017.

Leading Blairite MP, Tristram Hunt, has announced his resignation from the House of Commons to take up the role of director of the Victoria and Albert Museum. This unexpected move from the former Shadow Education Secretary will trigger a by-election in his constituency in Stoke. Share Radio's Ed Bowsher spoke to John Rentoul, Chief Political Commentator at The Independent, for his view.

Welcome to the Share Radio News Hour with Ed Bowsher. It's been a bumpy ride for Sterling again today; we're seeing increased volatility as the market awaits May's next big Brexit speech on Tuesday. Right now the pound is pretty much flat at $1.22. The FTSE has also been fairly volatile today, but right now, it's firmly up at 27 points at 7319, and is on track to continue its winning streak for 14 consecutive days. China's phenomenal export machine has hit a snag on fears of a US trade war. In just a minute, Ed will discuss all three stories and more with Jeremy Stretch, Head of G10 FX Strategy at CIBC. On the companies side of things, ITV's share price has been boosted by a positive note from goldman Sachs. Shares in pub group, Mitchells and Butler, are also on the up after a positive first quarter. Ed will be getting comment from Craig Erlam at OANDa in about 15 minutes. In politics, leading Blairite Tristram Hunt has said he's going to stand down from Parliament. Ed will speak to John Rentoul from the independent for his take. And finally, Fiat is the latest manufacturer to face emissions cheating allegations. Industry expert, professor David Bailey, will explain what this means for the car industry. All that and more on today's edition of the Share Radio News Hour.

Jeremy Stretch, Head of G10 FX Strategy, CIBC, joined Share Radio to talk about today's macro stories: sterling volatility reached its highest level since October, ahead of May's Brexit speech on Tuesday, and the FTSE set another record high. We discussed Chinese 2016 falling by 7.7 percent, and whether Trump's proposed tax cuts could threaten America’s triple-A rating. Finally a view on ministers proposing new corporate criminal laws and Spanish inflation jumping to 1.4 percent.

There's only one week to go before President-elect trump's inauguration and once again he's been making headlines. To find out more about Donald Trump's week Georgie Frost was joined on the line by Colin Bloom, Share Radio's political correspondent and former Chief Exec of the Conservative Christian Fellowship.

Finally, there's some good news for first time buyers. Reports show record numbers are getting on the property ladder. There is a downside though - deposits are also up, quite substantially.To find out more about this increase Georgie Frost spoke to Martin Ellis, Housing Economist at Halifax.