Podcasts

Official figures from the British Bankers' Association (BBA) show that consumer credit expanded last month at the fastest pace in nearly ten years. Mortgage approvals meanwhile hit a five-month high. Alastair Douglas is the Chief of TotallyMoney.com, the price comparison site focusing on credit cards, loans and mortgages. Alastair has been digesting these latest borrowing trends and he joined Share Radio to delve into the findings.

When it first crossed the Atlantic, Black Friday was a one day affair when we sat back in amusement watching punch-ups over cheap TVs. Now, hundreds of household name retailers are already dangling Black Friday carrots in front of our noses. Last year, amazon.co.uk sold more than 7.4 million items on the day at a rate of 86 items per second and are expecting to beat that this year. Fergal Gara is a Director of Amazon UK, and he joined Share Radio Breakfast to discuss the event.

The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) on Thursday finished their annual analysis of the Autumn Statement, spending all night closely scouring the facts and figures to find out what the Chancellor is really saying. To get a grasp of the ins and outs of how the IFS saw the Autumn Statement, Matt Cox went along to the event to investigate.

Simon was joined by Tim Evans, professor of Business and Political Economy at Middlesex University. They discussed: 1. Understanding the job of the Chancellor of the Exchequer: Why Brexiteers are wrong to complain that the Autumn statement's forecasts are too gloomy. 2. The importance of BoE Chief Economist, Andy Haldane, criticising modern economists. 3. The onward march of the economics and politics of marijuana legalisation.

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 Jolijn Koper, a guide for Tours By Locals in the Netherlands, and began by asking her what to do if she could spend a day in Amsterdam.

Simon Rose and Sarah Tucker welcomed neuroscientist, Dr Tara Swart, to the studio, to discuss the psychological damage continual business travel does on CEOs, and business people in general, and how to stop that.

Welcome once again to Share Radio's weekly travel show - The Share Radio Travel Guide. Simon was joined by travel journalist and author Sarah Tucker. This week, they looked at Airbnb's plans for a 'full-service' travel agency, and an interactive map that reveals tourism slogans around the world. Also, there'll be an insider's guide to Amsterdam with Jolijn Koper, a guide from Tours By Locals. But first, they welcomed neuroscientist, Dr Tara Swart, to the studio, where she spoke about the psychological damage continual business travel does on CEOs, and business people in general, and how to stop that.

In the first of our new series, In My Experience, Simon speaks to Angus Thirlwell, the CEO and co-founder of Hotel Chocolat, to dig a little deeper into his life and career.

The number of young people in the UK who are not in education, employment or training - known as NEETs- has risen. Figures from the Office for National Statistics reveal that the number of 16-24 year olds who are classed as economically inactive between July and September increased by 14,000 from the previous quarter. There are now 857,000 young people out of work, education or training- a total of 11.9%. To find out more about this Simon spoke to labour market expert and director of the consultancy the Jobs Economist, John Philpott.

Borrowing on credit cards grew at its fastest rate in almost 10 years last month. That's according to the latest figures from The British Bankers' Association which found that consumer credit was up 7% year on year in October. To find out more about this Simon was joined by Dr Rebecca Harding chief economist at the BBA.