Thursday 25th February 2021

Sometime this year we’ll be piling onto aircraft and jetting off to the sunshine. Since the government announced the timetable out of lockdown bookings have skyrocketed, but will we be looking for different travelling experiences? Destination marketing expert Tom Buncle, from Yellow Railroad, joins Phil Dobbie to talk about the types of travellers operators should be targeting and the steps they need to take to secure their bookings. Also today, the Bank of England Governor speaks out against the EU’s attempts to bring all Euro clearing into the Eurozone at the expense of the city of London, and how the government is pushing on with freeports, with no clear idea of the economic benefits they will provide.

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Wednesday 24th February 2021

Boris Johnson hosted the UN Security Council yesterday, where climate change was discussed as a threat to global security issue. Unsurprisingly, little was achieved, but at least it gave the US an opportunity to show that they are back at the table when it comes to climate talks. This just days after Texas was hit be severe storms, causing power outages and food and water shortages. Today energy economist Nick Butler joins Phil Dobbie to discuss what went wrong in Texas and how we can effectively tackle climate change. Energy pricing and innovation are key, but public policy will be a significant influence he says.

Also, today a review of the morning’s front pages, how the US Fed’s Jerome Powell has calmed the markets, why Elon Musk’s title as the worlds richest man has been short lived, and why Michael Bolton sings about trading platforms.  

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Tuersday 23rd February 2021

Boris Johnson has announced his caution plans for the UK economy to return to normal. By mid July it could all be over, unless, of course, it isn’t. Today we ask is he being too cautious or is this the only sensible way to progress. Either way, its going to take a long time.

We also look at the Supreme Court ruling on Uber drivers last week, that determined they were workers employed by Uber, not self-employed people simply using an app.  Ben Wilmott, head of policy at CIPD, says the government needs to push ahead with clarifying the employment status of all people, but its complicated.

The role of central banks has become more complicated too. They have been happily buying up government bonds to keep the cost of borrowing down. Now bond yields are rising will they have to do even more to keep things under control.

And as Canada prepares to follow Australis down the road of charging Facebook for links to news sites, we hear from a former Aussie PM who says its the Murdoch press, not Facebook, that’s the real issue here.

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Monday 22nd February 2021

Unless you’ve been hiding in a bunker (as many of us have) you’ll be aware that Boris Johnson will be announcing the schedule for the easing of lockdown measures today. Phil Dobbie says most papers this morning already have it planned out, as the UK’s vaccine rollout programme continues at pace and ahead of schedule. He explains why Israel will be an interesting test case in the next few weeks – they have rolled out vaccines quickly too, but also opened up shops and schools immediately afterwards. Have they moved too soon? But there’s one western democracy where vaccines aren’t entirely welcome. Listen in for more. You’ll also hear property expert Russell Quirk’s views on house prices. He says they are going to rise this year, even though many other experts are forecasting a downturn. With interest rate slower for longer, and the potential for inflation when the economy eventually bounces back, isn’t increased housing demand inevitable?

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Friday 19th February 2021

Unless we’re missing something, there’s not a lot of sense behind Keir Starmer’s plan to issue Recovery Bonds, to attract the savings money that some built up over the last year. We’ll examine why this lan could misfire and suggest an alternative. Plus, Paul Wallbank joins us from Australia to talk through the latest on Facebook’s blockade on news from down-under. And how not to hold a press conference. Listen to Ted Cruz’s explanation of why, when it got too cold I the state he is supposed to be running, he quickly fled to Mexico. He might have been better off saying nothing at all.

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Wednesday 17th February 2021

There is hope in the air that we are on our way out of this wretched pandemic and on Monday we’ll hear from the Prime minister with his timetable for easing lockdowns. The hope is that as we emerge from our cocoons, we’ll start spending again. But the economy will be left with a festering sore that will take a long time to heal. Government assistance has been made available to help businesses make it through the dark times, but its been a little haphazard and there are no clear signs that the help will continue for much longer. In today’s podcast Phil Dobbie asks whether some of the schemes for small business should be available all the time, pandemic or otherwise. And Liz Barclay from Back in Business says what we desperately need from the government is a strategy for business, that gives confidence to investors and provides a surety of income for operators. 

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Monday 15th February 2021

The newspapers this morning are filled with the expected timetable for easing lockdowns, that could see schools back in a few weeks, non-essential shops open by the end of March and pubs open by Easter. On today’s edition of It’s the Business Phil Dobbie asks Rodney Hobson which shares and sectors to focus on as the economy rebounds. Also, was Rishi Sunak correct when he said, on some measures, the UK economy has suffered less of a hit than Germany? Will the Republicans in the US have to toe the Trump line throughout this term of parliament. Clearly the acquittal reflected fears of a voter backlash. And two ends the UK government is struggling to tie-up, Brexit and hotel Quarantine. And bad poetry from the European Central Bank.

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Friday 12th February 2021

Many of today’s biggest companies stemmed from major economic downturns, Microsoft amongst them. Phil Dobbie asks Jonathan Marchbank, an investor in early stage investors, whether we’ll see that this time. Maybe not immediately, because investors are keen to see innovators face to face before parting with cash, but there are changes to our way of life that provide opportunities for new business ideas. Also today, we look at Matt Hancock’s plans for the NHS and ask whether the chairman of KPMG being pushed aside was just a little too ‘woke’. And a look at Friday morning’s papers too.

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