Breakfast Business

New findings from the Central Statistics Office CSO reveal that the Irish Gross Domestic Product has had a 3.5% increase over a three month period from July to September. To discuss further with Emmet was Austin Hughes, Economist.

The insurance company Royal London entered the Irish market in 2011 when it took over Caledonian life but it’s been around for more than 150 years. It now sells life insurance products and is one of the fastest growing insurers in the market. But how does it grow in a much smaller market and how does it compete with the bigger boys such as Irish life? Noel Freeley is the chief executive of Royal London Ireland and joined Joe this morning in studio.

Founded by Seán Mulryan 42 years ago, Ballymore is one of the biggest construction companies in Britain and Ireland these days. Currently building the Guinness Quarter, Sea Gardens in Bray as well as numerous large projects in the UK.  To burnish its credentials here Ballymore has also agreed to use a Guaranteed Irish Supply chain.  But with a major slump in commercial property and intense political pressure to build homes, what’s it like being a major builder these days? Joe asked Pat Phelan the Managing Director of Ballymore Ireland.

Thursday's business news and updates along with Joe Lynam.

The company that runs Dublin and Cork airports is back in the courts today as the full hearing starts into whether caps can be placed on passenger numbers when the busy summer season starts next year. DAA has also published its passenger numbers for the month of November and a record 2.5 million people used both airports bringing to 31 million for the first 11 months of the year in Dublin and on target to breach the passengers cap. Joe was joined on the show by Kenny Jacobs the Chief Executive of DAA. 

If you're saving money every month for your future pension income, that money will be stored and managed in a Fund.  It’s a huge industry which often earns huge profits but ebbs and flows with the global economy.  The Irish funds sector has blossomed since Brexit but so too has that of Luxembourg and France.  So, the funds sector here wants the incoming government to simplify regulation of the investment sector and even improve financial literacy.  Speaking to Joe this morning was Pat Lardner the Chief Executive of Irish Funds, the industry’s representative body for the funds and asset management industry. 

We take a look at Wednesday's business news headlines.

If you're a regular purchaser of alcohol you’ll know that Ireland has the 3rd highest excise duties in Europe and among the highest supermarket prices per unit in the world. That’s despite thousands of tourists coming to this country just to enjoy our famed stouts, whiskeys and liqueurs. But is there even more regulation to come on alcohol and how does the industry respond?   Speaking to Joe this morning was Patrick Rigney is the founder of Drumshanbo Gunpowder gin and now chairs Dublin’s newest brewery owned by some of the city’s biggest publicans. 

Running any business these days is tough enough but add in the extra emotional intensity of running a football club whose fortunes ebb and flow, makes it an even more challenging Enterprise. Dermot Usher started off in the bathroom business and still runs SONAS bathrooms. He’s also trying his hand at running Cork city FC and recently decided to ditch all the middle men and make his own shirts for the club. Dermot Usher owner of Cork City FC joined Joe on the show.

Tuesday's business news headlines with Newstalk Business Editor Joe Lynam.

With the Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales still underway, research from Domain dot IE found that consumers tend to rank price way above the safety or otherwise of the site that they want to buy from.  It comes as the banking industry warns that one in five people in Ireland lost money as a result of scams last year. Speaking to Joe about the findings David Curtin the Chief Executive of the domain dot.ie. 

Sony Kapoor is the Professor of Climate, Geoeconomics, and Finance at the European University Institute and adviser to the IMF and the UN.  Joe spoke to him at the AIB sustainability conference and in the wake of COP29 in Baku, about companies and governments rowing back on climate change commitments and the arrival of a new climate-sceptic US administration.

International business news headlines along with Kathleen Brooks from XTB.

Finland and Ireland are remarkably similar.  They’re both relatively remote with roughly the same populations. They have had an often violent past with big neighbours and they're both very open, technology driven, trading nations which tend to be buffeted by global events. But the Finns have been voted the most content in the world and yet that’s not something we say often about our own land. Joe was joined by Leena Gardemeister - Finland’s ambassador to Ireland.

Joe was joined by the team behind Shorla Oncology who have just won EY Entrepreneurs of the Year.

A look at Friday's business news headlines with Kate English, Head of Real Estate Research at Deloitte.

We spend a lot of time worrying about how artificial intelligence will overpower humanity. But what if the real problem is the reverse? Emmet ask  Jonathan Birch, a professor at LSE and author of Edge of Sentience.   

It’s the season to get vouchers from friends, colleagues and sometimes your employer.  But not all of them are transferable?   Mostly if you get a voucher for one place it’s only usable in that place.  But increasingly there are options to buy a voucher which is usable in dozens of places.  That’s especially the case for spa or resort days out.  Speaking to Emmet this morning was Adrienne Stewart the Founder of Hotel and Spa resorts.com . 

Bluesky is the microblogging site which was set up a few years ago by the Twitter founder Jack Dorsey among others.  It has percolated along quietly until Nov 6th when an Elon Musk-backed Donald Trump won the US elections.  Since then it has soared to 21 million users worldwide.  But without any adverts, how will BlueSky survive?  All to discuss with Rose Wang the COO of BlueSky in California.

Wednesday's business news headlines along with Joe Lynam.