Inside Business with Ciaran Hancock

‘No profit and crap governance’ – is Elon Musk’s SpaceX actually worth $1.75 trillion?

First up on this week’s episode of Inside Business is Elon Musk's company SpaceX and its plan to raise $75 billion through what will likely be the biggest initial public offering (IPO) in history this Friday. The company values itself at $1.75tn, but some analysts feel it is worth far less. Could it prove to be a risky bet for the retail investor given SpaceX's lack of profit? And there are question marks over governance given Musk's almost untouchable status within the company. To get some insight on all this, host Cliff Taylor was joined in studio by Aidan Donnelly, head of Global Equities at Davy. Plus, European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde is expected to announce a 0.25% rise in the ECB's interest rate, this will bring it up to 2.25%. It will be the first interest rate hike since 2023, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the impact that had on energy prices. So, what does this week’s increase mean for Irish mortgage holders and those looking to buy? And is this the beginning of a cycle of increases designed to control rising inflation? Cliff was joined in studio by Senior Mortgage Advisor at Irish Mortgage Brokers, Michael Dowling. Produced by John Casey with JJ Vernon on sound. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

David McRedmond: ‘O’Connell Street needs high density housing’

This week, Inside Business host Ciarán Hancock is joined in studio by An Post chief executive David McRedmond, who is about to step down after 10 years in charge of the State-owned company. He recently wrote an article for The Irish Times about the explosion in online shopping in this country and how it would impact on bricks and mortar retailers. Last year An Post delivered 75 million parcels to Irish homes. This year he expects that figure to be well north of 100 million parcels. All this in a country of just two million homes. In this episode, you’ll hear David outline how he believes we need to reimagine the streetscape in our towns and cities to reflect this shift. And he gives ideas on what to do with the historic GPO in Dublin, which An Post largely vacated some time back for new offices in the docks. Produced by John Casey with JJ Vernon on sound.  ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Will new pay transparency rules close the gender pay gap for good?

This week Inside Business looks at pay transparency. A new EU directive requiring employers to disclose salary ranges in the workplace and toughen rules enforcing gender pay equality comes into effect on June 7th. However, Ireland is set to miss that deadline, with no draft legislation in place. Nichola Harkin is head of employment law services at employers’ group Ibec and joins host Ciaran Hancock in studio to explain the key elements of the new EU pay legislation and what it will mean for employers and their staff. How is it being received by companies here? And will it close the gender pay gap? In the second half of this episode, Ciarán speaks to Irish Times Washington Correspondent Keith Duggan about the new governor of the Federal Reserve, Kevin Warsh. He has been described by New York Times columnist Paul Krugman as Donald Trump’s sock puppet. So, the question is, will he be his own man or a Trump patsy? Produced by John Casey with JJ Vernon on sound. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Rents and evictions soar as house price inflation slows

House price growth hit 6.5 per cent in March, the slowest rate in two years, offering some chink of light to those hoping to buy. For tenants however, the news is grim, with rents rising by 4.4 per cent in Q.1, the highest quarterly increase since 2022. While the number of eviction notices issued by landlords rose by 50 per cent in the same period. All that against the backdrop of new government rules around renting. To make some sense of these data points, Inside Business host Ciarán Hancock is joined in studio by Marian Finnegan, CEO of Sherry Fitzgerald, the country’s largest estate agent, and on the line by Irish Times Economics Correspondent Eoin Burke-Kennedy. In the second part of this episode, Ciarán is joined by Irish Times business reporter Ian Curran who was in Toronto last week as part of the EY Entrepreneur of the Year awards programme. Ian highlights some of the business leaders who impressed, their sales pitch, and reaction to Canadian prime minister Mark Carney’s group address as he seeks to wean Canada off its reliance on the US. Produced by John Casey with JJ Vernon on sound. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Could we be heading toward a world recession if Trump can’t broker a deal with Iran?

How high could oil prices go? It has shot up since the United States and Israel’s war with Iran began a couple of months ago. But not by as much as might have been expected. Talks on a deal are taking place but in the absence of a deal there is concern that a prolonged conflict could lead to a global recession. Economist John FitzGerald and Cliff Taylor of the Irish Times join host Ciarán Hancock in studio to discuss the implications for Irish householders and businesses. In the second half of this week’s Inside Business, we hear about how plans for a €250 million winter sports arena in Cherrywood, south Dublin are progressing. This  week we learned that several US and Canadian ice hockey stars, including former Stanley Cup winners, have signed on as investors in the proposed ice hockey arena. Eoin Burke-Kennedy of The Irish Times has been covering the story, and he joined Ciarán to outline who these investors are and what their involvement means for the project. Produced by John Casey with JJ Vernon on sound. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.