While usually more renowned for its array of adult entertainment, every January, Las Vegas becomes ground zero for the tech industry. The annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) brings companies from the around the world to offer the latest in consumer technologies, ranging from the truly innovative to the truly bizarre.

Into this morass of technology and neon lights we’ve sent co-host Ed Clowes. He survived the first two days, so we’re speaking to him live from the MGM on the Las Vegas Strip.

Ed tells us the biggest story so far is probably the battle between Amazon’s Alexa and Google’s digital assistant, which got underway at the Panasonic press conference. But Ed’s favourite event so far was watching Huawei’s CEO blast the US over why the company is having difficulty breaking into the US markets. SPOILER ALERT: The US governments apparently doesn’t trust the Chinese government. Who knew?

Finally, Ed runs down some of his favourite news products at the show, including Kodak’s KashMiner (it mines Bitcoin) and LG’s new rollable screen.

It’s been less than a week since the new tear started, but if there has been one major business story for 2018, it’s the roll-out of Value-Added Tax here in the UAE.

So far, the disruptions have been minimal, usually involving delivery drivers forced to collect a few dirhams when online platforms failed to factor the new tax into the billing, but other news surrounding VAT seems to be building, too.

Sales of gold at Dubai’s Gold Souq have fallen since the year started. But is that due to the VAT or is it just a natural conclusion to the annual year-end gold-buying frenzy? We may have to wait a few weeks to find out.

The second major business story for 2018 is going to be out of Las Vegas, where the annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is scheduled to get underway on Monday. Amazon and Google look to be set for a AI-on-AI throw down at the show. Will the Google Assistant beat Alexa, or is the Echo’s Dot dominance secured by booming holiday sales?

Ho ho ho! It's Christmas time, so the Dirhams & Dollars team gathers by the fire (and the microphones!) to talk through the biggest stories of the year, and boy, was this a long year!

We start off with the crazier news including Bitcoin, whose prices have skyrocketed this year. We also discuss one of the worst economic trends that seem to have cast a dark cloud of the year; protectionism. From France (earlier this year) to the US, the idea of protectionism seems to be gaining more traction..

In more local news, we discuss what possibly has been the biggest headache for consumers and companies in 2017; taxes. The UAE saw the introduction of excise tax this year, and is getting ready to roll out VAT in 2018.

Finally, we talk through the event of the year; the Dubai Air Show, and all the mega deals signed there. So, get yourself some cocoa, sit back, and listen to the year that was.

What’s your favourite mashup? Homer and Mickey? Or Deadpool and Wolverine?

Because after last week’s announcement that Disney has acquired 21st Century Fox, both are now a possibility.

(By the way, if you’re confused, Disney actually bought 21st Century Fox, which also owned the Fox Television Network, who in turn owns 20th Century Fox, who make all the movies. For $51.4 billion, of course you’d get the whole package. And, no, Fox News was not part of the deal.)

Disney was already the world largest entertainment company with a wealth of franchises in its stables, including Disney theme parks, Marvel Comics – with and its extremely lucrative MCU film series -- and that little space opera no one seems to have heard of, called Star Wars. THAT series by itself is why Scrooge McDuck can go swimming in a pool of gold coins.

Now, it will add the Simpsons, X-Men and Avatar. Can a media company be too big? The Disney of today is not the Disney that Uncle Walt knew. Granted, it’s no longer destroying classic literary classics like the Jungle Book and Alice and Wonderland to make a fast buck, but we’re guessing that Walt probably wouldn’t have approved of Ryan Reynold’s latest tweet.

There is also the question of what the US government thinks. It wasn’t too happy about Time-Warner, who also owns CNN, attempting to purchase AT&T, but the Disney deal doesn’t seem to be setting off any alarms bells. Could it be that Rupert Murdoch has a friend in high places?

Perhaps someone who doesn’t like CNN? Just saying.

Christmas is only a week away. Huzzah!

Well, not quite. A week before Christmas, and the Dirhams and Dollars journalists are struggling to find juicy stories to argue about as the news flow starts to dry out.

Not to fret, though, as the international front can always keep us occupied. We discuss the expected tax reforms in the US, and what impact those will make on stock markets, which have only been going up this year.

In other US news, we also discuss the most used phrase of last weekend, “Net Neutrality.” Why exactly is social media abuzz with talks about net neutrality? And what exactly does it mean for you and internet service providers?

Finally, we discuss the sexiest commodity/currency of 2017; Bitcoin! (P.S. have we settled on whether we’re classifying it as a currency or a commodity yet?) With the cryptocurrency hovering around the $20,000 price level, we discuss whether shorts will start coming into that market and Bitcoin’s meteoric price rise this year.

Have you ever wondered what monetary policy the evil Galactic Empire had in place to finance a planet annihilating Death Star.

For those of you that answered “yes” - you’re in for a treat. For those of you that said “what’s a death star?” - keep listening, because this episode has something for everybody.

In celebration of the release of Star Wars: The Last Jedi this week, Dirhams & Dollars team dive into a world of business and lightsabres.

We tackle pressing questions inside the Star Wars universe like: What were the key sources of revenue for the Empire? How much did the Death Star cost exactly? And which US President does Emperor Palpatine most closely resemble?

Back in the real world, we talk about the $4 billion Disney takeover of the Star Wars franchise in 2012, the origins of the loyalty that the series commands from its fans, and the estimated $30 billion that the merchandise alone is worth.

It may not be the most important story ever, but over the weekend, the rise and fall of Bitcoin was THE story. Move over, Brexit.

Bitcoin, that little bit of encrypted nothingness, was worth $10,000 last week, but it surged on Friday, topping out over $19,000 on some exchanges. Since then, it’s been a rough ride.

Just what happened to drive this controversial currency to such heights? Ed, Sarah, and Scott talk - or more accurately, argue - about just what is going on. While we all seem to agree there is a place in the world for cryptos, that agreement comes to sudden halt over just why it has any value at all. We also have very different ideas on where it’s going.

We also talk about events coming in the week ahead, including the meeting of three major central banks and the Arab Strategy Forum, which will have Ian Bremmer and Joseph Stiglitz, the Nobel prize winner in economics who thinks Bitcoin should be outlawed.

Just sayin’.

It’s December, which means the start of the holiday shopping season, but this year you’re going to need to do some extra thinking about how – and when – to buy those stocking stuffers.

We talk about whether you should buy your gifts early, or wait until Dec. 26 for the start of the Dubai Shopping festival, especially with UAE retailers offering deals before the start of the Value-Added Tax on Jan. 1.

Speaking of VAT, just how prepared are you? Do you know everything that is going to be taxed starting 2018?

Then there is the question of where to buy your gifts, especially if you’re looking to buy online. A strong euro isn’t make those Swiss chocolates any more affordable.

Dubai: Are the markets feeling the Christmas cheer yet? Well, not quite.

When it was announced that former national security advisor Michael Flynn had agreed a plea bargain, which would see him reduce his sentence for illegal contact with Russian officials in return for co-operation against the Trump administration, the US markets fell.

In their first show of nerves this year on what has been an unmatched bull run, finally political developments rattled investors, albeit briefly.

Stocks were back up shortly afterwards on the announcement that the US government had agreed a tax deal.

So what does this all mean going in to this week, where a government shutdown looms large over Washington D.C.?

Scott and I discuss the potential implications of political developments, and whether the US government can overcome political gridlock to avoid coming to a standstill.

Staying true to the dirhams half of Dirhams & Dollars, we also take the time to talk about the UN event taking place in Sharjah on Monday and Tuesday, which deals with women empowerment.

Specifically addressing the issue of economic participation, we ask how much women have been held back historically, especially in light of the recent sexual harassment developments.

Getting bored with the same old restaurant? You obviously need to get out more. According to a new report, Dubai residents have more food choices per capita than New York City.

Even if you don’t want to go out, eating apps allow you to get just about anything you can think of delivered to your door. It’s definitely a foodie’s market.

But that doesn’t mean things are good in the kitchen. The growth in restaurants and a level delivery field means that competition is fierce.

There have already been a few casualties, even among the big Western brands, which used to be viewed as a sure thing.

So just how do restaurants caters to today’s tech-driven, social media centric food fans – other than just making sure your order is right? Ed and I hash it out.