Inside Business with Ciaran Hancock

Increasing the price of a stamp to between 90c and €1 still represents “fantastic value” for the customer, according to An Post CEO, David McRedmond.On the Inside Business podcast today, he joined Sherry Fitzgerald Chief Economist, Marian Finnegan, and Teeling Whiskey co-founder, Stephen Teeling, to look ahead to 2017 and discuss the potential impacts of Brexit, Trump and political uncertainty across Europe, on their own sectors and the wider economy.An Post is undergoing a strategic review and has “quite a way to go” in figuring out its ten year plan, said McRedmond, but it will raise the price of a standard stamp from 72c next year to help ensure security of cash-flow.A re-configuration of the rural post office network is also on the cards, but McRedmond said An Post remains committed to maintaining it and diversifying services.The panel spoke about the export environment post-Brexit, how the Apple ruling might affect government tax policies and the future of the property market.Sherry Fitzgerald’s Marian Finnegan said while there is “no silver bullet” for the problems facing her sector, the government’s Action Plan for Housing is at least the first vision there has been for it in a long time. A lack of housing stock and a strong letting crisis will continue to cause problems for the marketplace in 2017, she added.Stephen Teeling said the weak dollar has worked to his company’s favour in the past few months and he talked about their plans to expand into the US in 2017.The North American market is Teeling’s biggest by “a factor of four or five”, he said and they will have 11 graduates stationed across the region next year in a bid to have “boots on the ground… for grassroots marketing”. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It was an extraordinary and at times confounding year in business and the economy, even as the Irish position remained broadly positive. On Inside Business today we look at the biggest stories of the year in the company of Irish Times business team stalwarts Cliff Taylor, Joe Brennan, Laura Slattery, Mark Paul, and Barry O'Halloran.Cliff Taylor discusses how the political events here and abroad impacted the economy in 2016, from the minority Government to Brexit and Trump's election. Joe Brennan talks us through the biggest company deals and market moves of 2016. Mark Paul recalls the twists and turns in the business and litigation of Denis O'Brien. Laura Slattery picks TV3's new status as a competitor for RTÉ as the major media story of the year.And Barry O'Halloran recaps the Project Eagle story and major moves in aviation that will have consequences for consumers and business in 2017 and beyond.And finally, Inside Business visited the National Treasury Management Agency last week for their annual Christmas choir's performance. We recorded a song from the event which raised funds in aid of the Simon Community. We hope you enjoy it.You can donate to Dublin Simon Community here: http://www.dubsimon.ie/Fundraise/WaystoDonate.aspxThanks very much for listening to Inside Business in 2016. From all on the team, we wish you a very Happy Christmas. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you've shopped online and you're Irish you may be familiar with the feeling that you are being ripped off by international retailers. Geo-blocking (when you can't access a site aimed at consumers in another country) and excessive price differences are the most frequent complaints, and we Irish make more such complaints than most others, according to a report today from the European Consumer Centre. We talk to ECC representative Martina Nee about the report's findings, and to Mark Paul and Laura Slattery about personal experiences of what Mark calls the "Paddy Levy". Have you been caught out by the levy? Email us your stories: businesspodcast@irishtimes.comAlso on the podcast, we look at Minister for Housing Simon Coveney's big announcement that rent increases will be capped at 4% per year in Dublin and Cork. It seems no-one is entirely happy with the plan - but is it better than nothing? John McCartney of Savills Auctioneers, Mick Byrne of the Dublin Tenants Association and our property editor Madeline Lyons weigh in. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The imposing acronym CCCTB could spell serious trouble for the Irish economy according to the Economic and Social Research Institute. Bottom line: the proposed European Common Consolidated Corporate Tax Base could wipe 1.5 per cent off economic output. On today's Inside Business podcast, Mark Paul goes into the details of the ERSI's report. Economist Jim Power says it is time we accepted the inevitability of more equitable corporate tax rates and faced up to the challenges this will pose our unique situation, while Suzanne Lynch in Brussels says CCCTB is not yet cause for panic.Mark, Jim and Suzanne also discuss the plight of Italian banks which some fear could plunge the EU into a new banking crisis in 2017, and take another look at the goings-on in Independent News and Media's boardroom after Monday's EGM bun-fight between board and shareholders over pensions. In part two: $69 transatlantic flights? At that price point you might be forgiven for ignoring the fine details, and Norwegian Air's plan to launch the groundbreaking service from Cork and Shannon to New York and Boston next year has been welcomed by many - but not all. Irish Airline Pilots Association rep Evan Cullen has objected to the new route due to what he says are unfair working conditions for some crew employed by Norwegian Air. To discuss we're joined by Evan, Norwegian Air spokesperson Stuart Buss and Irish Times aviation reporter Barry O'Halloran.Inside Business is a weekly podcast devoted to Irish and global business, economics and finance, hosted by Ciarán Hancock and produced in association with Irish Life. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Irish Times broke the story about a "schism" within the Independent News & Media board that led its CEO Robert Pitt to consider his position. For more on the story this week's host Cliff Taylor talks to business affairs correspondent Mark Paul and media reporter Laura Slattery.Then Ciara O'Brien pops in with an array of gadgets you may be tempted to splash out on, either for yourself or a loved one this Christmas. Ciara shows Cliff how to use a Virtual Reality headset and the best way to silence a blabbering Furby. And Joe Brennan has the latest market news, including Opec's moves towards reducing oil production and fears over Italy's constitutional referendum. What knock-on effects will a defeat for Mario Renzi have on Italy's banks? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Central Bank announced today that it is easing the mortgage lending rules. What will this mean for first time buyers and will supply meet increasing demand for new units? To discuss the permutations of this latest decision, Ciarán Hancock is joined in studio by Housing Studies lecturer in DIT Lorcan Sirr and Markets Correspondent Joe Brennan.Black Friday promises deep discounts for bargain hunters in the run up to Christmas. While a a relatively new phenomenon in this country, Black Friday has had American consumers queuing outside stores for decades. Does it actually represent good value for shoppers and why are some bricks and mortar retailers less than enthused by it's growing popularity here? Our Consumer Affairs Correspondent Conor Pope, CTO with eShopWorld Colm O'Donaill and founder of Wolfgang Digital Alan Coleman offer their insight. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"Transformational" is how Greencore CEO Patrick Coveney described the company's proposed $747.5 million acquisition of Illinois-based Peacock Foods. Patrick joins Ciarán Hancock to talk about the deal. Why is this deal the right one for Greencore now, and how will they avoid a repeat of their ill-fated purchase of Imperial Holly in the 1990s? In part two, Irish Times business team Cliff Taylor, Laura Slattery and Joe Brennan pop in with all the business news that's fit to talk about, including post-Trump market mayhem, moves by Aer Lingus and Easyjet, and Virgin Media's purchase of UTV. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The election of Donald Trump has taken everyone by surprise, not least the Republican Party who seemingly have no transitional arrangement in place. How will President Trump impact free trade? Will we see an exodus of US companies from our shores? Will President Trump retreat from some of the rhetoric that defined his election campaign? To answer these questions and more, Ciarán Hancock is joined in studio by business consultant and former Fine Gael TD Lucinda Creighton, Equity Analyst at Investec Ronan Dunphy and Business Editor Cliff Taylor. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We look ahead to the presidential election and ask whether a President Trump or a President Clinton would best serve Irish interests in trade, foreign direct investment, the peace process and dealing with undocumented migrants. On the panel are former Taoiseach John Bruton, American economist Megan Greene and NUIG lecturer and Boston native Larry Donnelly. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mark Paul paid a visit to Athenry in Galway to find out about Apple's proposed data centre there and a legal challenge to it's development that has the local business community up in arms. A proposed trade deal between Canada and the EU could be scuppered by the staunchly socialist Wallonia region in South Belgium. To look at the reasons for this we're joined by Suzanne Lynch and EU trade expert John Clancy. Does the merger of AT&T and Time Warner signal a change in how their customers will watch content in the future? The $85.4 billion deal would bring 130 million mobile phone customers and 25 million pay-TV subscribers in contact with a vast amount of content - if allowed go through. Laura Slattery explains. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.