Breakfast Business

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.

Tonight is the night for all League of Ireland fans.  We find out in a few hours whether Shelbourne or Shamrock Rovers win the SSE Airtricity Premier division. It’s the denouement of a crazy season which started with Shels at a very remote 25/1 price to win it and the near demise of Dundalk.  But it’s also been a lucrative one according to a report from BDO which suggests that the league as a whole contributes a not insignificant €164m to the Irish economy  - directly employing 1600 people.  Total peak viewership has almost doubled since 2021. Joining Joe to discuss was Mark Scanlon - Director of the League of Ireland.

Newstalk's Business Editor Joe Lynam takes a look at Thursday's business news headlines with Aidan Donnelly.

We’ve Fintech, Regtech and now InsurTech or the new technologies being deployed in the insurance sector. A new report from the Irish startup InsTech suggests that there are 114 Insurtech companies based here with the potential to make the country a cluster of innovation in insurance.  But will any of this drive down premiums? Joe asked Gary Leyden is the Chief Executive of InsTech.ie.

The next time you're at a DIY store and buy a power tool or some decking, the chances are those products will have been sourced from United Hardware which was formed last year when Associated Hardware and National Hardware came together to avail of economies of scale.Speaking to Joe this morning on the show was Paul Candon Chief Executive of United Hardware and also is a veteran of H Williams and Roches stores retailers as well as Topaz forecourts. 

Newstalk's Business Editor Joe Lynam takes a look at Thursday's business news headlines.

In Europe many of the series and films we see here have been bought at a giant conference in Cannes known as MIPCOM.  It is not just TV, there are also video games, animation techniques as well as augmented and virtual reality. The Ireland on Screen stand, managed by Enterprise Ireland flew the flag for us last week and one of the popular cartoons is known as Carlichauns. It was represented by the former Irish ambassador to Berlin, London and Washington and now on the Advisory Board for Carlichauns Dan Mulhall.

If you've bought a ticket for Cheltenham racecourse or Connacht rugby or even Arsenal Ladies football club, you’ll have doubtless done so using technology from an Irish company called Future ticketing.  They allow all types of sporting clubs to control the money and the data involved in selling tickets.They’re rapidly expanding now in Europe and the middle east and who knows: they might eventually end up selling you Oasis or Premier league tickets. Joining Joe in the studio was Liam Holton is the founder of Future ticketing.

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

Insolvencies rates are climbing but are still well below the long term average.  But for small businesses in the hospitality sector, things are even more acute and much of that is down to those high energy costs.  Is the lack of skills especially the traditional trades such as plumbing and carpentry is creating a skills gap which is pushing up prices for all companies.  Speaking to Joe this morning was Dessie Morrow Partner in Corporate Recovery at professional services firm Azets Ireland.

Joe Lynam takes a run through Monday's main business headlines.

Oil prices sank 6% over the weekend despite Israel’s attack on Iran. The sentiment has been downwards on Oil in recent weeks despite the horrendous unrest in the Middle east. What about gas prices and the overall trend in energy prices on global markets?  Will SMEs and consumers ever benefit from lower wholesale prices?  Joe asked Robert Maxwell Principal Consultants with the energy company DNV. 

You're probably familiar with the Chinese technology giant Huawei.  It’s banned from US government contracts and has gone a bit quieter over here too.  Newstalk's Technology Correspondent Jess Kelly has been taking a closer look at the rise and fall of Huawei and the possible shakeup it could deliver to the smartphone market. Tech Today brought to you today by PwC.

We take a look at Friday's business news along with Kate English from Deloitte.