Breakfast Business

The cost of borrowing for the British government has soared over the past few days with the 30-year bond yield heading for 6% almost twice that of Ireland. The markets are worried that Britain is spending too much money, and they are demanding a higher premium to lend to it. Worryingly, inflation has also remained stubbornly high.  All to discuss with Andrew Sentence who used to sit on the Bank of England's interest rate setting Monetary Policy Committee.

BT sold its wholesale and fibre infrastructure business to the Irish telecoms company Speed Fibre earlier this year.  It was given the green light by the Competition watchdog this week and it means that Speed Fibre, which owns Enet and Magnet plus brands, has a decent sized presence now in the Irish business telecoms market.  But how well placed is Ireland for the AI revolution which is sweeping the US? All to discuss with Peter McCarthy, Chief Executive of Speed Fibre Group. 

Joe Lynam takes a look at the main business news stories this morning.

The latest data from the CSO suggests that we’re jumping between jobs that little bit less than earlier this year. Mark Price used to run one of Britain’s biggest supermarkets Waitrose before he became a Government Minister and a member of the House of Lords.  But what does he make of the world of work surrounded by such geopolitical and economic uncertainty?   All to chat with Mark Price the author of the book ‘Work Happier: How To Be Happy & Successful at Work’. 

The company Kroll is also known for its ability to get information about businesses that they don't necessarily want in the public domain.  Business is growing in Ireland ,so much so that it is buying an insolvency specialist known as Kirby Healy.  Joining Joe on the show this morning wasDeclan Taite is the country Lead for Kroll Ireland. 

AI is set to create a once in a generation shift in how we work.  But will it be worth it or are we looking at a repeat of the Dot Com crash from 25 years ago? ServiceNow is a giant Enterprise software company which provides all manner of consultancy and business support including AI to the largest companies in the world.All to discuss with Mark Cockerill is the country lead for ServiceNow here in Ireland.

Tuesday's business news review along with Joe Lynam.

Michael O’Leary and Dermot Desmond have criticised the plans to finally build an underground metro system.   Dublin Chamber said that in a poll of their members 40% wanted Metrolink to be prioritised.  But at a cost of at least €12bn it will be the most expensive metro in the world.  Will it be worth it? All to discuss with Mary Rose Burke from Dublin Chamber.

At any one moment there is an estimated $1.4trillion worth of cargo in transit somewhere in the world.  Securing, insuring and protecting that is big business . Overhauls founded in Dundalk provides risk management solutions and they've just signed a new deals and got a major cash injection to grow the business of logistics security. Joe spoke to Barry Conlon, CEO of Overhaul 

Russ Mould  from AJ Bell takes a look at the main business news stories along with Joe Lynam.

Paul Murphy Chief executive of ClimeAction works with all types of companies to get their emissions down be that a dairy farm or a microchip manufacturer.  ClimeAction is only 4 years old but already has offices on both sides of the Atlantic. Paul is our Green Business person of the month with Repak.

Friday's business news review along with Joe Lynam and Aidan Donnelly from Davy's.

In an effort to create long term rentals and cut housing waiting lists, the government has proposed that all short term rentals acquire planning permission before letting out their homes on Airbnb or other platforms.  But what impact will that have on small, usually family run guesthouses and self catering cottages?  Màire Ni Mhurchu, Chief Executive of the Irish Self Catering Federation convinced it could devastate the sector and worsen the rental shortages.  

Well before the arrival of working from home Regus was the go-to place for small startup companies seeking somewhere in city centres to rent while or if they grew their business.   The company that owns Regus as well as HQ, Spaces and Signature office brands posted its highest ever group revenue last week of $2.2bn.  But how healthy is the long term model given the rise of working from home and AI wiping out many white collar jobs in future? Mark Dixon, is the founder and boss of International Workplace Group formerly known as Regus joined Joe this morning on the show.

Joe takes a look at Thursday business new headlines.

My next guest is responsible for Irish versions of hit TV shows such as Dragons Den, Popstars, the Apprentice and Dancing with the Stars.  Shinawil was set up in 1999 just before reality TV took off with shows such as Big Brother. But with linear TV viewing numbers on the wane and young people watching clips rather than full length TV shows, what does the future hold for scripted TV productions? All to chat about with Larry Bass the founder and chief executive of Shinawil. 

Once the powerhouse or engine of Europe.  Now Germany is not in a good place economically.  GDP shrank again in the second quarter and all the certainties which drove the German economy appear to be dissolving:  China is no longer snapping up luxury German exports and the Americans are slapping tariffs on German cars and steel.  So what can the newly elected Friederich Merz do as chancellor to turn things around?  Joe discusses this and more with Michael Harbisch from Cantor Fitzgerald in Frankfurt.

Wednesday's business news review with Joe Lynam.

Irish based pharma companies exported a whopping €13.7bn worth of goods in the month of May alone. .  The pharma sector is not yet paying 15% tariffs on all exports to the US but that looks like it will be the max once the famous section 232 investigation is sorted. But what will these tariffs mean in the long run for those American pharma giants such as Ely Lily and Pfizer who have been here for years but are under pressure to shift production back to the States?  All to discuss with Oliver O'Connor, is the chief executive of the Irish Pharmaceutical Healthcare Association. 

Mondello Park has been around for 57 years and is the only dedicated motor racing circuit in the Republic.  It’s where a young Ayrton Senna learned his trade and where the late Eddie Jordan started his racing team too.  It hit the financial buffers in the mid 80s but is now back in business and quite popular for corporate days out and for racing bikes as well as normal and supercars. Leo Nulty from Mondello Park chatted to Leo about the business of the circuit.