Share Radio Breakfast

New figures released today from PwC's Skyval Index show the deficit of defined benefit (DB) pension funds stood at £500bn at the end of March 2017, a £20bn decrease since last month. So what does this actually mean for pension funds? To discuss further, Nigel Cassidy spoke to Steven Dicker, PwC's chief actuary.

Brave Bison, the independent digital media & social video broadcaster, working with the likes of Coca Cola, Microsoft, 20th Century Fox, CNBC, Universal Pictures and Google has released full year results today. Last year the company boasted a 22% increase in net revenue from from £14.6m to £17.7m. So how is the company doing now? Kevin Deeley, CEO of Brave Bison joined Nigel Cassidy to tell us more.

As Brexit talks move forward, what's the business need for a deal? What are the ten priorities for negotiation, and how bad is the need for a transition agreement? Nigel was joined by Tom Parker, a Brit who's applied to be Belgian. He's the Vice President of the British Chamber of Commerce in Belgium.

According to data released today by GfK, a market research institute, consumer confidence remains stable but still in the negative territory. Survey shows households carried on spending this month - suggesting consumer confidence has remained stable. GfK's index to measure this was unchanged from February. The finding has led the market research firm to suggest that those predicting a post-Article 50 slump "could be wrong". The negative data is most likely due to the generally bleak/unclear future of the UK economy post-Brexit. Now Theresa May has fired the article 50 gun, can we expect things to worsen in consumer confidence or be on the up? Joe Staton, Head of Market Dynamics at GfK joined Nigel Cassidy to discuss further.

Britain’s price for splitting from the EU could be as low as €25bn - much lower than the €60bn that had been suggested. That's according to influential European think-tank Bruegel. They say the final figure comes down to whether you consider coming out of the EU as like quitting a club, and therefore leaving all the club's equipment behind, or a divorce, where both parties must divide up the house. James brydges spoke to Zsolt Darvas from Bruegel, one of those responsible for the research.

Now Brexit is not the only problem facing the EU. The Greek government's set for a key meeting of euro zone finance ministers next Friday. Negotiations over a potential bailout between Athens, the EU, and the International Monetary Fund have been dragging on for months, but according to reports, Greece has agreed with its lenders on key labour reforms, spending cuts and energy issues. Joining Nigel Cassidy is an old friend of the program, Michael Kosmides!

What's the best strategy for British companies as the UK starts negotiating with the EU? The guessing game has begun; should our businesses pursue a global outlook, or restrict their suppliers to from inside the UK itself? Share Radio's James Brydges spoke to Chris Baker from global tech giant Concur.

It's been 9 months since the June 23 referendum and, despite warnings of political upheaval and economic ruin, Brits have no regrets about voting Brexit. The majority of Brits believed Brexit was the right decision when quizzed in the weeks following the vote, and that still has not changed. Chris Curtis, International Politics Research Executive at YouGov, joined Nigel to discuss the public's attitude to Brexit.

The financial service sector contributed over £128 billion to the economy last year, and accounted for over 2.2 million jobs across the country. It also paid £71.4 billion in tax in 2015. It's thought Theresa May needs a transitional deal in order to give the sector time to adapt to life outside the EU. James Brydges spoke to Mark Boleat, Policy Chairman of the City of London Corporation, and first asked whether there were any surprises in the letter to Donald Tusk.

Anglo Pacific, the only natural resources royalty company to be listed in London, has released full year results today. The company invests in mining projects and then receives a proportion of the revenues they generate. Julian Treger, CEO of Anglo Pacific spoke to Nigel Cassidy to discuss how the company's doing and what they're up to at the moment.