The economy is sluggish, growth elusive, and unemployment is heading for 5% - 2026 looks tough for business. But, the FTSE 100 has broken 10,000 points for the first time, gold keeps on going up, and up in value - and still the AI bubble hasn’t burst. From Davos parties, to driverless cars, what's up, what’s down? And how do you prepare yourself for 2026?

Presenters:

• Hannah Prevett, Associate Business Editor, The Sunday Times
• Dominic O’Connell, columnist and business presenter, Times Radio

Guests:

• Richard Fletcher, Business Editor, The Times
• Katie Prescott, Technology Business Editor, The Times

Producer: Miriam Hall

Senior Producer: Julia Johnson

Executive Producer: Kate Ford

Photo credit: Getty

Get in touch: [email protected]

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British tech billionaire Mike Lynch died in August 2024, on board The Bayesian, his luxury superyacht, sunk by a freak storm as it was moored off Sicily. He’d been there with his family and closest associates to celebrate his acquittal of criminal fraud charges in the US. It was a tragic end to the story of a self-made business man - a man who was one of Britain’s biggest titans of tech. So, who exactly was Mike Lynch? How did he manage to build such a huge tech success story? And how did it all come crashing down?

As we end the year, Dom and Hannah have each picked their ‘business book of 2025’. In today’s episode Hannah sits down with Katie Prescott, Times colleague and author of The Curious Case of Mike Lynch.

Host: Hannah Prevett, Associate Business Editor, The Sunday Times.

Guest: Katie Prescott, Technology Business editor for The Times, presenter on The Tech Podcast and author of ‘the curious case of Mike Lynch’

Clips: Getty

Photo: Getty

Producer: Miriam Hall

Executive producer: Kate Ford

Get in touch: [email protected]

You can buy The Curious Case of Mike Lynch by Katie Prescott at the Times Bookshop.

Listen to The Times Tech Podcast

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In space, a battle between big business is taking place as two of the world’s wealthiest men vie for dominance. Elon Musk’s Space X and Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin have taken the space industry in the US out of the hands of government and into the hands of the private sector. But what are the consequences? Who will win the commercial race to extract crucial minerals from outer space? And who will police space if the rivalry between China and the US extends into orbit?

As we end the year, Dom and Hannah have each picked their ‘business book of 2025’. In today’s episode Dom sits down with Christian Davenport, author of Rocket Dreams.

Host: Dominic O’Connell, business columnist at The Times and business presenter on Times Radio  

Guest: Christian Davenport, Washington Post journalist and author, Rocket Dreams

Clips: Getty

Photo: Getty

Producer: Julia Johnson

Executive producer: Kate Ford

Get in touch: [email protected]

You can buy Rocket Dreams by Christian Davenport at the Times Bookshop.

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2025 has been a wild ride of big pharma - driven by explosive use of revolutionary weight-loss medication - pushing one of the biggest manufacturers, Eli Lilly, to a trillion-dollar valuation. A dramatic takeover war also saw Denmark’s pharma darling Novo Nordisk trumped by US giant Pfizer. Now, while Novo’s share price is down 50% over the course of the year, Lilly is in the stratosphere normally reserved for the likes of tech firms.  

But the story’s not over. These, and smaller, challenger companies are slogging it out for market dominance. Who can nail the science for the next holy grail in weight loss meds – an oral pill. And what does investor behaviour tell us about where the market is going? 

Presenters:

• Hannah Prevett, Associate Business Editor, The Sunday Times
• Richard Fletcher, Business Editor, The Times

Guests:

• Eleanor Hayward, Health Editor, The Times
• Paul Major, portfolio manager at Bellevue Asset management

Producer: Miriam Hall

Senior Producer: Julia Johnson

Executive Producer: Kate Ford

Photo credit: Getty

Get in touch: [email protected]

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gold, the world's oldest asset, is experiencing a remarkable boom. Its value has surged from just over £2000 per ounce a year ago to well over £3000 today, reaching highs not seen since the 1970s. This rapid rise is unusual because gold typically peaks when stock markets decline, yet this rally has coincided with booming equity markets. So, what is driving the value up? Have we reached the peak, or is there more growth to come?

Guests:

• Mehreen Khan, Economics Editor, The Times.
• James Ashley Morrison, Associate Professor, Department of International Relations and Associate Director of the Phelan United States Centre at the London School of Economics & Political Science.
• Jim Luke, Portfolio Manager of Schroders Global Gold Fund.

Producer: Miriam Hall

Senior Producer: Julia Johnson

Executive Producer: Kate Ford

Photo credit: Getty

Get in touch: [email protected]

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode of The Business is sponsored by PwC.

As AI rapidly reshapes the world of work, businesses face the biggest transformation since the industrial revolution. While 90% of CEOs surveyed are investing in AI, only 15% are currently getting the value. So, what are the tools driving productivity gains? How can companies move AI from an IT project to one that’s truly integrated across the business? And how exactly are the UK’s largest employers preparing their workforces for the future? 

In this special bonus episode of The Business, recorded at the Times Tech Summit, Dominic O'Connell chairs a discussion with those at the forefront of this new technology.

Guests:

• Dr Seth Dobrin, CEO, Qantm AI
• Danielle Gilliam-Moore, Director, Global Public Policy, Salesforce
• Umang Paw, Chief Technology Officer, PwC  

Hosts:

• Hannah Prevett, Associate Business Editor, The Sunday Times
• Dominic O’Connell, columnist, The Times & business reporter, Times Radio

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Fried chicken is booming in Britain - the market is now worth over £3bn a year. Up and down high streets, a whole new generation of fast food chicken restaurants have sprung up, buzzy US imports like Wingstop and Dave’s Hot Chicken, putting pressure on the established brands.

In part, it’s down to Gen Z enthusiasm, driven by pop culture hits like Chicken Shop Date as well as viral ASMR videos of crunching, chewing and sizzling. 

So how can the market leader and established brand KFC maintain its dominance? And what does the fried chicken boom tell us about the way Britain - and British diets - are changing ?

Guest: 

• Rob Swain, General Manager, KFC UK & Ireland

Hosts: 

• Hannah Prevett, Associate Business Editor, The Sunday Times
• Dominic O’Connell, columnist, The Times & business correspondent, Times Radio

Producer: Miriam Hall

Senior Producer: Julia Johnson

Development Editor: Sandra Shmueli

Executive Producer: Kate Ford

Get in touch: [email protected]

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s being described as a "smorgasbord" of a budget - an offer from Rachel Reeves made up not of big, bold moves but of small, bite-sized titbits. But tax is up, spending is up and debt is still high - so do the measures add up to anything appetising for business at all? We pick over the details, from the big picture to the small tweaks in this budget special.

Guests: 

• Helen Miller, Institute for Fiscal Studies
• Steve Rigby, Rigby Group
• Richard Fletcher, Business Editor, The Times

Hosts: 

• Hannah Prevett, Associate Business Editor, The Sunday Times
• Dominic O’Connell, columnist, The Times & business correspondent, Times Radio

Producer: Miriam Hall

Senior Producer: Julia Johnson

Development Editor: Sandra Shmueli

Executive Producer: Kate Ford

Get in touch: [email protected]

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

More than $1 trillion has been wiped from the Crypto market in just six short weeks, but on The Business we hear from a man who still trusts Bitcoin more than any other currency. 

While many around the world fret about crypto crooks and markets that can be spooked by vibes alone, what’s it like to be ‘all in’ on Bitcoin? Andrew Webley, the founder and chief executive of the The Smarter Web Company, knows very well. He pivoted his web design agency into a so-called crypto treasury - that’s a company that holds digital assets as opposed to traditional treasury assets like cash or bonds. 

A long-time Bitcoin investor, Andrew was inspired by the approach of American crypto treasury evangelist Michael Saylor, and the billions he made through his bitcoin treasury company Strategy. The Smarter Web Company floated on the Aquis Stock Exchange in April this year, reaching a billion-pound market capitalisation in the summer. Now, despite the crypto slump, and his own company’s share price plunging by more than 70% since July, Andrew remains a steadfast believer in the future of Bitcoin, and the strength of his company.

Guests: 

• Andrew Webley, Smarter Web Company 

Hosts: 

• Hannah Prevett, Associate Business Editor, The Sunday Times
• Dominic O’Connell, columnist, The Times & business correspondent, Times Radio

Producer: Miriam Hall

Senior Producer: Julia Johnson

Development Editor: Sandra Shmueli

Executive Producer: Kate Ford

Get in touch: [email protected]

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There are few things that are as fascinating, thrilling - and sometimes as completely confounding - as the stock market. Right now, that's as true as ever. Consider Nvidia, which became the world's first $5 trillion company last month - putting its value higher than the GDP of every country except the US and China. 

Is there a logic to it, or is this plain madness? To get a grip on the forces at play, Dom and Hannah explore some historical parallels, first with Andrew Ross Sorkin, New York-based financial journalist and author of the book 1929, which explores the market crash of that year. Plus, veteran investment analyst Stephen Clapham joins Dom and Hannah.

What can we learn from the market crashes of the past? Is there a brewing AI bubble about to pop? And are there some more troubling, lesser known stress points in the system? 

Guests: 

• Andrew Ross Sorkin, journalist and author of 1929: Inside the Greatest Crash in Wall Street History — and How It Shattered a Nation
• Stephen Clapham, veteran investment analyst and founder of Behind the Balance Sheet, an investment research and investor training consultancy 

Hosts: 

• Hannah Prevett, Associate Business Editor, The Sunday Times
• Dominic O’Connell, columnist, The Times & business reporter, Times Radio

You can buy the following books mentioned in this episode at the Times Bookshop:

• 1929 by Andrew Ross Sorkin
• Too big to fail by Andrew Ross Sorkin
• Nudge by Richard H. Thaler and Cass R Sunstein
• Engines that move markets by Alisdair Nairn

Producer: Miriam Hall

Senior Producer: Julia Johnson

Development Editor: Sandra Shmueli

Executive Producer: Kate Ford

Get in touch: [email protected]

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.