Share Radio Breakfast

Global politics, market volatility and an uptick in the price of oil were just some of the elements that defined 2016. Rachel Winter, Investment Manager at private client broker Killik and Co, spoke to Share Radio’s Sarah Lowther about the year that was, and what investors should be mindful of in 2017.

Seijiro Takeshita, Professor of Management and Information at University of Shizuoka in Japan, joined Share Radio Breakfast to discuss the latest in Japanese politics and economics. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has visited Pearl Harbor, accompanied by the US president, to pay public homage to victims of the attack on Pearl harbour 75 years ago. Does it come at a sensitive time for US-Japan relationships?

Paul Kelly, Owner of Kelly Turkeys, joined Share Radio to talk on the business of selling and producing turkeys. We started by asking him if there is an overall slight decline in turkey sales.

Josh Lowe, Reporter at Newsweek, joined Share Radio for his weekly take on politics. He talked Europe-wide manhunt for Berlin suspect and the implications for Chancellor Merkel, the news that one of Jeremy Corbyn’s most persistent critics quit as a Labour MP to take a job in the nuclear industry, and the recently published letters sent by Donald Trump to then-Scottish first minister Alex Salmond, part of an intense lobbying campaign against plans for an offshore wind project near Mr Trump's Aberdeenshire golf resort.

The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has ruled that the "general and indiscriminate retention" of emails and electronic communications by governments is illegal. The ruling could lead to challenges against the UK's new Investigatory Powers Act. This legal challenge was initially brought to determine the legality of GCHQ's bulk interception of call records and online messages. James Castro-Edwards, Partner and Head of Data Protection Law at Wedlake Bell LLP, joined Share Radio to discuss.

John Hardy, Head of FX Strategy at Saxo Bank, joined Share Radio to talk on the latest currency market news.

David Richardson, Regulatory & Commercial Affairs Director at The Wine and Spirit Trade Association, joined Share Radio to discuss the fall in sherry sales and what can be done about it. We started by asking him when consumption started to decline.

A 20 billion euro bailout for the world’s oldest bank, Italy's Monte dei Paschi di Siena, now looks inevitable. Monte has seemingly failed to pull off a last-ditch rescue plan, proving unable to find an anchor commercial investor for an offer of new shares. Bankers said a private sector deal to swop debt for shares would only have raised €1.7 billion, far short of the overall amount needed. The Italian Senate's approval followed an announcement by the troubled bank that it expects to burn through €11 billion in just four months, a sum it was thought would last 11 months. Share Radio's Matt Cox has been getting the lowdown on Monte's plight from industry specialist Philip Alexander, Regulation Editor at Risk.net.

On Tuesday The Bank of Japan closed a tumultuous year for monetary policy with an upgrade to its assessment of the economy while keeping its yield-curve and asset-purchase programs unchanged. Dr Seijiro Takeshita, Professor of Management and Information at University of Shizuoka, Japan, joined Share Radio to discuss.

Germany is credited with starting the Christmas tree tradition as we now know it in the 16th century when devout Christians brought decorated trees into their homes.

In 1846, Queen Victoria and her German Prince, Albert, were sketched in the Illustrated London News standing with their children around a Christmas tree and a popular tradition was born.

Are you like me and have left decorating your Christmas tree till the last minute. I flit between the live and the authentic looking artificial trees, but let's stick with the living and join Sadie Lynes, managing director of Christmas tree supplier and exporter Jadecliff.