Breakfast Business

A look at today's business papers and markets with Business Editor Joe Lynam.

Banks are in business to make money and are loath to pass up an opportunity to do so when it comes to mortgage lending. Yet according to the latest Bank of Ireland ESG report, so-called ‘green mortgages’ accounted for roughly half of all mortgage lending last year. The bank also says that it’s lending almost €2bn to companies with strong sustainability credentials Eamonn Hughes, Chief Sustainability & Investor Relations Officer at Bank of Ireland Group

‘Tallaght man retires’ is not often a headline that moves the markets and gets headlines all over the world but that’s what happened this week when Alan Joyce said he was to retire from the top job at Qantas Airways in Australia - after 15 years as chief executive. He’s worked through a major financial crisis, a pandemic, and the vagaries of air travel including pressures from environmental and political lobby groups. But he’s never stopped being a proud Irishman. Alan Joyce, Chief executive of Qantas Airways joined Joe on the show this morning.

Business Editor Joe Lynam takes a look at the business markets and websites with Aidan Donnelly from Davys.

Shein is a global clothing behemoth from China. Although it flatly denies it, a group of American congressmen and women have called for Shein to be investigated over claims of forced labour in the Xinjiang region of China. The whole issue has placed the sourcing of our wardrobes and ethical buying in question.  Speaking to Joe this morning was Jake Posner from the Sustainable Fashion brand No One True Anything.

The services sector in Ireland includes everything from Accountants to IT specialists as well as pubs and restaurants. It’s a very important part of the Irish economy, and according to the latest measure of the AIB purchasing managers index, Services are booming with a value of 58 last month. Oliver Mangan is the chief economist with AIB

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

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

The government and many experts have trumpeted the potential for renewable energy from Ireland’s wind and waves, which are of course in abundance. But in regional terms, Ireland lags considerably behind many of its European rivals. Kevin Thompstone wrote a key report on this for the Atlantic Economic Corridor and is a board member of the Shannon Chamber of Commerce.

Yesterday, in a BBC interview, one of the creators of the modern world of artificial intelligence, Geoffrey Hinton, gave an interview to say that he was resigning from his work in this field and worried that AI is now potentially out of control. It has certainly set the hairs running on both sides of the Atlantic and all over the technology world. But are we overreacting and is AI more of a friend than a foe? Patricia Scanlon the Official Government Adviser on AI joined Joe this morning.

The real deal event for small and medium-sized companies starts tomorrow in Goffs County Kildare. Entrepreneurs will hear motivational speeches from successful businessmen and women. So what is the mood out there among small firms? Stuart Fitzgerald from the Real Deal event which starts tomorrow in Dublin

How many times have you cursed the bank that you’re dealing with but also resigned yourself from the fact that you have no other choice than to deal with commercial banks? Well, change is potentially on its way. Many of the world’s biggest central banks are thinking about creating a way of bypassing commercial banks and enabling companies to do their banking directly with the central banks. Haydn Jones is a managing director in the Data Insights and Forensics at Kroll

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

Circle K is a well-known retail brand in Ireland, and in every county in the country with more than 2000 staff. You would need a fair amount of experience and ability to be a director of the company and our next guest is still in his 30s but has earned the accolade of Newstalk business person of the month. Paul Dixon Director of Retail Sales and Operations at Circle K Ireland and is our Newstalk BPTM for April. All with thanks to Everlsheds Sutherland.

We often talk on this program about Ireland’s excellent trading relationships with the United States, Germany, and even post-Brexit Britain. But we often neglect our fourth biggest trading partner in terms of exports, Belgium. we exported €17 billion to Belgium last year, but we only imported two .2 billion from them. Joining Joe this morning on the show was Her Excellency Mrs. Karen Van Vlierberge - the Belgian Ambassador to Ireland.

Joe Lynam takes a look at this morning's markets and business news with Aidan Donnelly from Davys.

The number of vacancies in the Irish jobs market has dipped a little. It’s not a downturn but it may signify that the economy is not running as hot as it was a few months ago. Also the number of jobs advertised as ‘fully remote’ has fallen now for 3 quarters in a row which may signify that the lockdown market for working from home is softening. Sam McIlveen, Managing Director of StepStone Ireland, the parent company of IrishJobs who carried out the research discussed the findings with Joe this morning.

According to the Central Bank of Ireland data this week, the average legal fees for claims using the personal injury assessment Board were just over €1000 whereas the average legal fees if the matter is brought before the courts known as litigation were €18,000. It’s all important because insurance premiums cannot fall without some controls placed on big payouts in the courts according to the insurance industry. Speaking to Joe with more on this Stuart Gilhooley from HJ Ward personal injury solicitors joins me now.

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

The Irish Management Institute (IMI) has been training managers for 61 years and is now affiliated with University College Cork. It’s launching a new Senior Executive Experience (SEE) programme and has conducted a survey about the wants and needs of the companies of the future. To tell us more about the programme was Shane O’Sullivan, Interim Chief Executive at the IMI.