Podcasts from The Weeks Update

Graham Spooner of The Share Centre looks at recent news from Sainsbury's, Persimmon and William Hill - with its announcement of the closure of many of its high street shops. He also looks at the rise in the price of gold to a five-year high. Looking ahead, he highlights what we might expect from Barratt Developments and Ocado.

Ed Bowsher discusses this week’s results from Next, Associated British Foods and Ashtead with Ian Forrest of The Share Centre.

US presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump have been making last minute appeals to their supporters as the polls have opened to select the 45th leader of the world's biggest super power. Republican Donald Trump has fought an unconventional and at times highly controversial election campaign. He repeatedly accused his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton of criminal behaviour and even threatened to have her investigated if he wins power. Mrs Clinton condemned him as a misogynist unfit to hold office after Mr Trump was secretly recorded making lewd comments about women. Too often the banter and name calling has diverted attention away from the issues that the winner will have to deal with. There's the civil war in Syria, the battle to get the so-called Islamic State out of Iraq, and America's worsening relations with a newly resurgent Russia. Throw in the matter of globalization and how the benefits should be distributed - it isn't hard to see why whoever takes over at the White House will have their hands full. For more analysis, Share Radio's Juliette Foster was joined in the studio by Professor John Weeks, Share Radio's regular economics commentator and Jeff Faux of the Economic Policy Institute all the way from Washington.

Sub-Saharan Africa is on course for weak economic growth by the end of the year - according to recent IMF figures. Regional GDP in 2015 was 3.5%, the lowest in fifteen years although it could shrink to 3% by the end of the year. The sharp fall in commodity prices hasn't helped especially for countries like Nigeria and Angola, which make their wealth from exporting oil. In contrast, oil-importing countries like Ivory Coast, Kenya and Senegal have seen their GDP rise by 5% or more thanks to infrastructure investment and strong private consumption. So what are Sub-Saharan Africa's prospects? Does the overall weakness prove the area's recent growth momentum has stalled? Alemayehu Geda is Professor of Economics at the University of Addis Ababa and he joined Share Radio's Juliette Foster in the studio along with Professor John Weeks, Share Radio's regular economics commentator.

The situation for many African countries has been buffered by the dramatic fall in commodity prices or China's economic slowdown. For example Nigeria, which draws the bulk of its wealth from oil revenue, has seen its economy slip into recession following the drop in the price of crude. The irony is that nearly a decade ago many Sub Saharan African countries were thriving as developed economies wrestled with the fallout of the 2008 global financial crisis. So why have African countries fallen off the rails and what do they need to do to get back on track? Doctor Howard Stein is a Professor in Afro American and African Studies at the University of Michigan. He joined Share Radio's Juliette Foster in the studio with Professor John Weeks, Share Radio's regular economics commentator.

Now that the UK has voted to leave the bloc, the remaining 27 states will push hard to ensure their interests are protected in any future negotiations. Yet in planning a future without Britain, Mr Tusk and his colleagues will also have to take a long hard look at the EU's current economic model. Against a backdrop of low growth and high unemployment - especially amongst the young - some analysts believe the EU's long-term survival lies in taking bold economic steps. How radical does it need to be? Doctor Engelbert Stockhammer is Professor of Economics at Kingston University, and he joined Juliette in the studio, along with Professor John Weeks, Share Radio's regular economics commentator.

More than a month has passed since the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan crushed an attempt by disgruntled army officers to remove him from power. The government has since arrested thousands of military personnel and police officers - accused of treason - whilst cracking down on opponents of Mr Erdogan's rule. Emboldened by a surge in his popularity, the president has also moved in on Syria where Turkish backed rebels have cleared Islamic State fighters from Turkey's Syrian border. Will Turkish troops stay in the area indefinitely, and what about US/Turkish relations given Washington's support of the Syrian/Kurdish militias who Mr Erdogan claims are terrorists? Professor Mehmet Ugur of the University of Greenwich and Professor John Weeks, Share Radio's regular economics commentator, joined Juliette Foster for The Weeks Update.

This week on the Weeks Update we take a pause at the end of what's been a very busy news period for the UK markets and look at some of the most topical highlights from our regular commentator Professor John Week's recent shows, starting with discussion on Theresa May's article 50 comments with Professor Jan Toporofski of SOAS, then the merits of the new Chancellor Phillip Hammond and the performance of his predecessor with the economist Ann Pettifor & finally a closer look at the appeal of Donald Trump to white working class American voters with Professor Michael Zweig of New York State University.

The new PM Theresa May stressed that Article 50, which gives EU member states a two year window to leave the bloc, would not be invoked this year. However choosing when to activate Article 50 is only part of the story. Could the UK negotiate the terms of a BREXIT and the shape of a future trade relationship, at the same time? What about the business community? Could British and foreign companies exit these shores if the uncertainty drags on? Jan Toporowski is Professor of Finance & Economics at the School of Oriental and African Studies, at the University of London. He joined Juliette in the studio along with Professor John Weeks, Share Radio's regular economics commentator.

The new face at Number 11 Downing Street will almost certainly have his work cut out for him. So how will Phillip Hammond’s stint at the treasury differ to Osbornes? Ann Pettifor is an economist & Director of Policy Research in Macroeconomics and Professor John Weeks is Share Radio's regular economics commentator and they were in the studio to discuss.