Breakfast Business

Joe Lynam takes a run through of some of the main business news headlines this morning.

If you ever wondered where the name Maxol came from, well it was set up by the McMullan family 104 years ago.  The fuels and retail chain is still in family hands and it has just published its annual results for last year showing a profit of €27m on a turnover of €756m.Maxol rolled out its first Ultra Rapid EV Hub in Newbridge this year and it’s retrofitting nearly all of its stores which are run by franchisees. Speaking to Joe this morning was Brian Donaldson the Chief Executive of Maxol. 

Tuesday's business headlines along with Newstalk's Business Editor Joe Lynam.

Unemployment remains at near record lows and has done so for 2 years.  It means that in a fully functioning economy, employees rather than employers hold the whip hand in pay and conditions talks.  But do they really? Who is looking for jobs here and what types of jobs are they looking for? Joe asked Jack Kennedy is Senior Economist with the recruitment website Indeed.

There are quite a few family-owned or run companies in the hospitality sector who are worried about rising costs including minimum wages, energy and misc employment costs.  Over the weekend Fine Gael said it would cut VAT in that sector to 11% and yesterday Fianna Fail promised to cut PRSI if they get back in. To discuss what family run companies want from a new government Joe spoke to John McGrane the Executive Director of the Family Business Network.

Those of you renewing your car insurance will have certainly noticed that premiums have been going up appreciably despite nothing changing in your own circumstances. That's because the cost of car repairs and the vehicles themselves have soared in value. The cost to your business of a cyber attack is also soaring and new research says that fewer than 10% of SMEs have cyber cover.  Joining Joe to talk about all things insurance is Damian Smith from Campion Insurance Brokers. 

There was a time not long ago when Hydrogen was seen as the great and cheap hope for renewable energy.  A fuel that is bountiful and emits only water.  But the  S&P Kensho Hydrogen Economy Index which measures companies that focus on Hydrogen fell to an all time low over the summer amid fears of a recession. Will things might get even worse for those in the Hydrogen space? Joe asked Paul McCormack the Chief Executive of Hydrogen Ireland. 

Monday's business news headlines review with Joe Lynam and Kathleen brooks from XTB.

The Australian government has announced that no one under the age of 16 will be allowed to use social media from now on. It’s the first such decision by a western government and may even start a trend. But could it work or would it be flouted?  Our Technology Correspondent Jess Kelly has more.

David Duffy use to run Virgin Money in the UK but sold it to the Nationwide building society this year. You would remember him because he used to run AIB after it was all but nationalised in 2011.  Apart from Ireland and the UK he’s also worked for global players including Goldman Sachs and Standard bank in South Africa. Joe asked David has banking changed?

Securitization is the financial alchemy of taking not easily or non tradable assets, pooling them together, and selling tradable shares or securities in that pool to investors. Many people blame securitisation for the financial crisis of 2007 as many worthless mortgages had been included and given a much higher value by the ratings agencies. Now there are moves afoot to restart the use of securitisation in Europe in order to create a capital market union and boost private sector investment. Needless to say there are detractors. Joe spoke to Julia Symon is Head of Research and Advocacy with Finance Watch.

Thursday's business news headlines along with Newstalk's Business Editor Joe Lynam.

Making a cup of coffee is not especially great for the environment.  It’s grown thousands of miles away, shipped and stored, roasted and then steamed before we take our first sip. So making that whole process greener or more sustainable is tough but that’s what Bewleys are hoping to do with the beans that they will use in their restaurants by using a process called Integrated Open Canopy in the jungles of Honduras. It’s even earned praise from Jane Goodall.  But can you do all this without having to pass on the additional cost to consumers?  Joining Joe in studio Cathal Murphy, is Head of Innovation and Sustainability at Bewleys. 

The shocking scenes of flooding in Spain and the rising death toll have also created concern about the fresh food sector there and whether that could lead to problems getting fruit and vegetable to Ireland.  The rain continues to pour in Spain but so far we’ve escaped problems in the food chain here.  But is it too soon?  Justin Leonard is the Managing Director of Jackie Leonard and Sons fruit and vegetable importers.

Newstalk's Business Editor Joe Lynam takes a look at the main business headlines this morning.

Three quarters of Irish consumers believe that banking transaction fees are too much according to a new survey from Wise. But what is notable is that 20% of us only use traditional banks for day to day spending and moving our money around. It shows that the Top three older banks have their work cut out to attract the customers of the future who tend to prefer digital banks which don't have branches anywhere. To discuss the survey findings with Joe was Roisin Levine, Head of UK and Europe Partnerships at Wise Platform. 

This week and possibly as early as today the High Court could order a stay or pause on the cap on the number of passengers allowed to use Dublin airport next summer.  It’s something that Ryanair has been calling for. It has just posted its half yearly results which show the airline made a profit of €1.79bn down 18% on the same period last year.  It said that its traffic was up 9% but the average fare fell by 10% It comes as the airline criticises the British government for increasing taxes on flights. Joe spoke to Neil Sorahan is the CFO of Ryanair.

Whether it’s Sally Rooney, Joseph O’Connor, Colin Tobin or Roddy Doyle, Ireland is currently blessed with a crop of wonderful writers. In fact the Irish publishing industry is also in rude health. But how do they pick winners and how do dreamt-up words end up on bookshelves especially now as the sector faces its busiest period of the year? Deirdre Nolan runs Irish division of the Swedish owned Bonnier Books which aims to publish 16 books next year.

Monday's business news headlines with Newstalk's Business Editor Joe Lynam.

When not focussing on our own economy we tend to obsess with the British and German economies but the fastest growing large economy in the G7 group of industrialised nations will be Spain this year with an expected GDP of 2.9%.  So what’s behind this surge and will it be derailed from the awful flooding which has taken 100 lives this week and may be the biggest insurance event in the world this year? Joining the show this morning was Prof Joe Haslam lecturer at the IE university in Madrid.