Breakfast Business

For those of us older than 35, the word Nokia was synonymous with mobile phones. The Finnish brand was far and away the biggest phone maker in the world - until 2007 when Apple literally destroyed its sales. Nokia mobile phones are back but owned and made by a very different - non-Finnish company. Joining Joe this morning to discuss was Jess Kelly our Technology. Correspondent.

As an industry, the legal profession is not famed for its rapid change. There are still practitioners who wear horse-hair wigs and gowns in court, even though there is no obligation to do so. But change is afoot. There are more judges on the way which should speed up proceedings and legal aid is set to be reformed, which should give more people access to the courts than is currently the case. Sara Phelan SC, Chair of the Bar of Ireland joined Joe this morning on the show with more on this.

Business Editor Joe Lynam takes a look at today's business papers and websites.

Manufacturing which includes the key food production and pharmaceutical sectors in Ireland is moving in the right direction again. After some lacklustre results at the end of last year, the AIB Purchasing Managers Index for manufacturing posted a value of 51.3 for last month anything over 50 denotes rising output. The falling cost of production has helped life many manufacturers but Ireland is in a stronger position than its nearest neighbours, especially the UK. Oliver Mangan Chief Economist with AIB spoke joined Joe this morning.

Green & Red lanes, emergency breaks, democratic consultations. They’re all contained in the new Windsor Protocol to replace the infamous Protocol for Northern Ireland. But assuming that the DUP accepts this deal and goes back into power with Sinn Fein, what will this deal mean for trade between both parts of the island and between Britain and Northern Ireland? Speaking to Joe this morning was John McGrane Director General of the British Irish Chambers of Commerce.

A run-through of some of the business stories today with Business Editor Joe Lynam.

The cosmetics and pharmacy chain Boots is soon gonna accept your old or empty cosmetics containers in return for a voucher. It could remove lots of plastic and glass from the economic system. Maeve McNamara is head of sustainability at Boots IRL and joined Joe this morning with more details on this new incentive.

We all know what the constituent chemicals in water are but did you know that once you split out the hydrogen from the Oxygen you can have a bountiful supply of renewable fuel without any mining or drilling? Quite a few car makers are launching hydrogen-powered cars but Hydrogen is also a great way to store renewable energy from wind and heaven knows Ireland has plenty of that. Speaking to Joe this morning wasJorgo Chatzimarkakis the Chief executive of Hydrogen Europe which represents the industry throughout the continent.

Business Editor Joe Lynam takes a run through of some of the business stories today.

In the words of the great Swedish philosophers Benny & Bjorn: Money money money is a major problem for Irish start-ups according to a new survey of them by Scale Ireland. Traditional banks won't lend to such high-risk entities and venture capitalists are in more of a Risk Off mood in this high inflation and high-interest rates environment. Last week the start-up sector told the visiting Taoiseach at its get-together in Galway that there is simply too much red tape to apply for Government supports Martina Fitzgerald Chief executive of Scale Ireland joined Joe this morning.

IBEC’s previous 2 quarterly reports last year were fairly pessimistic weighed down by fears over the war in Ukraine and soaring inflation alongside rapidly rising interest rates. Now the Spring forecast is much more upbeat. IBEC now thinks inflation will fall below 4% by the year-end and domestic economic growth could be 3.6% For more on this Joe was joined on the show by Gerard Brady Chief Economist with IBEC.

A run-through of some of the business stories this morning with Newstalk's Business Editor Joe Lynam.

It may be named after a borough in New York, but Manhattan peanuts and popcorn couldn't be any more Irish. They’ve been making snacks as a family business since 1957 in Finglas - starting in the family kitchen. And now 66 years later Don O'Neill runs the business and has been expanding into crisps and peanut butter. He’s also Newstalk Business person of the month for February. Don O’Neill is the chief executive of Manhattan peanuts and joined Joe on the show this morning.

Oil prices soared and with them the cost of living. Confidence evaporated and interest rates climbed rapidly. Just some of the issues initiated exactly a year ago when Russia invaded a sovereign European nation. In doing so it has started an inflection point in history that will change things politically and economically for decades. We assess this economic impact with Dan O'Brien from the International Institute of European affairs.

Business Editor Joe Lynam takes a look at today's business papers and markets with Aidan Donnelly from Davy.

It’s a date that will linger on for generations. February 24th 2022 shook the world when Russia launched an all-out invasion of a sovereign democratic European nation. It also plunged the world economy into chaos, pushing up energy costs and causing a recalibration of who we do business with. It also brought together the international community to punish Russia with the kind of sanctions never before imposed on any nation. Joining Joe this morning on the show was Ireland’s commissioner for Financial Services and the person responsible for the monitoring of EU sanctions Mairead McGuinness.

Section 230 of the communications act in America, has proven to be a seminal piece of legislation when it comes to social media giants. That’s because it offers protections to the likes of Google, Twitter, and Facebook when it comes to the dissemination or spread of controversial content. But now there are two cases before the US Supreme Court, which could amend or even tear up section 230 and in the process, transform social media companies as we know them. To discuss this further Joe spoke to Eoin O’Dell an Associate Professor of Law at Trinity College, Dublin.

A look at today's business papers and websites with Joe Lynam.

Brace yourself for notable issues getting your hands on tomatoes, lettuce, peppers, and a whole suite of vegetables that we normally get in the Winter from Spain. That’s because the harvest over there has been erratic due to climate change and other factors and it’ll soon be leaving empty shelves in the fresh Veg section in our supermarkets Justin Leonard from Leonard & Sons Dublin’s oldest fresh produce company spoke to Joe on the show this morning with more on this.

It’s a worrying time for tourism. As it prepares for the peak summer months, there is genuine concern that there won't be enough hotel beds as the state has prebooked many of them to accommodate refugees from Ukraine and other countries. On top of that those that remain could be charged out at exorbitant prices - earning Ireland the kind of pricey reputation which could have long term implications. To discuss all this further Joe was joined on the show by Paul Kelly the Chief executive of Failte Ireland.