Breakfast Business

Donald Trump has confirmed that he will be slapping 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminum coming to the US.  That will almost certainly face retaliation from Europe and China and underline the fact that we are in a trade war.  It comes as government imposed costs at home for companies are rising rapidly and Ireland looks set to miss out on the AI revolution. Speaking to Joe this morning was the Managing Partner of EY - Frank O’Keefe.

Tuesday's business news headlines along with Joe Lynam.

Sweden has the highest number of Unicorns in the world outside of Silicon Valley. Jim Dowling is the founder of Hopsworks.ai and he hopes to join the club of billion dollar companies and that’s why he’s based there.  He’s an Irishman whose company makes the picks and shovels for machine learning in the AI age. He also wants to keep the AI talent and technology in Europe but is but is worried that the continent lacks its own technology or infrastructural independence in AI. Joe spoke to Jim this morning on the show.

Monday's business news headlines along with Joe Lynam and Russ Mould from AJ Bell.

Do you order lots of clothes online and then return them if they don't fit or you simply don't like them?  Well you may be one of the reasons why the fashion industry accounts for up to 4% of global emissions. 100 billion garments are made every year and 70% of them are plastic-based textiles such as polyester or Nylon. Almost 90% of these shirts and coats and trousers will end up in landfills.  Terran Fielder is with the NGO EarthDay.org and believes it doesn't have to be that way. 

Friday's business news and markets along with Aidan Donnelly from Davy's.

Organisations should think beyond compliance and embrace sustainability as a driver of long-term value for Ireland’s economy and society. That’s the call from Nessa Whelan, Executive Director of UN Global Compact Network Ireland, the newly introduced Irish network of the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative. Nessa joined Emmet this morning on the show.

Despite record housing construction commencements last year in Ireland, completions still fell short. That’s according to findings from the Construction Information Services latest report.    Speaking to Emmet this morning was Scott Delaney, CIS Research Manager.

Thursday's business news headlines along with Joe Lynam.

Throughout the 90s and the 2000s, the world became a smaller place in trading terms and globalisation was dominant. But now in the age of Donald Trump, tariffs and trade sanctions are very much on the menu. But do tariffs actually work or do they in fact encourage the tariffed nation to innovate more and potentially become an even bigger arrival as is the case with China? All to discuss with Macro-Economist with Global Geopolitical Research Christian Takushi.

We live in an age where appearances matter and forming a good first impression is important. None more so than your smile. Hamish Khayat developed his first dental hygiene products when he was at school and has now built up an empire including electric toothbrushes, floss and teeth whitening strips for sale all over the US and UK.  Now he’s arrived in Ireland selling his Burst oral care in McCauleys pharmacies.  Hamish Khayat Co-Founder and CEO of BURST Oralcare spoke to Joe on the show this morning.

Europe has continuously lagged the US in terms of startups and capital investment in new companies. Much of that is down to the perception of red tape that exists when operating across the 27 member states. There is a new proposal which aims to get over this by creating an EU wide recognised legal entity called an EU Inc. Joe was joined on the show by Stor Andreas Klinger who led this proposal and began by asking him whether it was indeed messy to start a business in the EU these days.

Wednesday's business news headlines along with Joe Lynam.

€900 not bad for a few minutes work.  That’s the average refund for people who file their tax return online.  The Revenue wants more people to use the MyAccount facility online and join the 440,000 people who were entitled to a refund that's 80% of all those who filed returns last year. For advice on how to file your tax return Joe spoke to Aisling Ní Mhaoileoin, Manager of Revenue's National PAYE Services. 

The total value of pension savings in Ireland stands at €142bn and rising.  Most of that money will be invested in bonds and equities but most of those shares will be large American companies who aren't shy of a bob or two. Speaking to Joe this morning was Alan Merriman the Chief Executive of Elkstone and he believes that a certain proportion of our huge savings pot should be required to be placed in Irish companies to support startups here rather than in America. 

Monday's business news headlines along with Joe Lynam.

25% that’s the new tariff that the US has provisionally placed on its closest and biggest trading partners Canada & Mexico.  Their crime supposedly not adequately combating illegal migration and the opioid crisis.  That's despite Trump renegotiating a trade deal himself with both nations to create the USMCA when he was last in office.  To discuss these tariffs Joe spoke to Brad Setser who was part of the Obama administration and is now a senior fellow with the Council on Foreign Relations. 

As we all know from 2007, a booming economy can collapse very quickly if there’s a major external shock.  We’ve similarly low unemployment and high house prices today. So are we just as vulnerable to a serious Trump-shaped externality?  Are about to entirely miss the AI boat in Europe? To discuss further Joe spoke to Neil Hughes the Chief Executive with Azets Ireland.  

Friday's business news headlines along with Joe Lynam and Kate English Chief Economist with Deloitte.

The largest private healthcare insurer, VHI, announced across the board price increases yesterday. That will affect hundreds of thousands of customers. Overall, around 50% of Irish adults have private health insurance. That is among the highest in Europe. The body charged with ensuring fair play and that you are not overpaying is the health insurance authority.  Brian Lee is the Chief Executive of the Health Insurance Authority joined Joe this morning on the show.