World Business Report

America’s central bank has announced a quarter-point rate cut - rates down to 4.5% from 4.75%. It's been the second time in a row that the US Federal Reserve has lowered interest rates. Mostly because the inflation continues to ease and a Trump presidency hangs over the central bank. We hear from economists what will happen next. Also, Rahul Tandon talks to Everett Eissenstat, a former Trump trade adviser. And we look at German economy and find out why the Japanese car giant Nissan has announced plans to cut 9000 jobs from its global workforce.You can contact us on WhatsApp or send us a voicenote: +44 330 678 3033. We would love to hear from you!

Will Bain hears from Tomas Philipson, a former economic advisor to the now President-elect Trump on what his new administration’s policies will be.Young voters in Nevada tell us how they feel about the election result.Plus with the election will China be facing a huge expansion of tariffs on imports to the US?

James Wickham is joined by Ritika Gupta, our North America Business Correspondent, and George Conboy, the Chairman of Brighton Securities, as voters head to the polls in the US Presidential election. We ask what investors are looking for from a new President - and when we might find out who exactly that is.In Spain, the embattled prime minister Pedro Sanchez has announced an eleven-billion-dollar aid and reconstruction package for areas affected by devastating flash floods. Plus we hear about Nintendo's disappointing profits - and whether the promise of a new console is what's holding back sales.You can contact us on WhatsApp or send us a voicenote: +44 330 678 3033.

Hours before the US elections we take a look at the different economic routes proposed by Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, and their differing views on taxes, tariffs and inflation. A lot of money has been spent on campaigning and advertising. We find out how much. And what does the US presidential election mean for world trade? We hear from our correspondent in the US.

As Americans prepare to go to the polls, Will Bain is joined by the BBC's Economics Editor Faisal Islam to discuss what the US election means for both the future of the world's number 1 economy, but also the wider world.We look at what the result might mean for the goods we trade, the prices we pay and how whoever wins will shape the direction of the global economy over the next four years.Our North America Business Correspondent Michelle Fleury takes a look at the issues of trade and tariffs, while we're also joined by Dr Shuichiro Nishioka, Associate Professor of Economics at West Virginia University to take a historic look at what tariffs mean for the US.

The world's biggest economy added just 12,000 jobs last month, far below expectations and down from a revised 223,000 in September. At the same time, the level of unemployment hasn't risen, and consumer spending is up. So what does this mean for the election? Botswana is set to experience a shift in governing parties for the first time in nearly sixty years, largely attributed to a decline in global diamond demand. And just how much wealth exists in the world? Roger Hearing speaks to Dr Renaud Foucart who seems to have worked it out.

On World Business Report Andrew Peach looks at the clear up operation for homes and businesses in Spain where flooding has killed more than two hundred people.In the US, jobs growth slows as hurricanes and strikes take their toll. But what does it mean for the election? We'll hear what the markets are expecting and focus on affordable housing in the swing state of Georgia.And Hello Kitty, is fifty find out more about the feline success story.

The US stands on the verge of an election, with the final major economic data showing lower unemployment and stronger-than-expected consumer spending. But will this shift the outcome?Plus, we’re in Arizona, a hotly contested state, where immigration takes centre stage.And the EU opens an investigation into Temu, one of the world’s largest online retailers from China.

Sam Fenwick looks at the issues that are driving Lebanon’s economy into a downwards spiral. We look at the economic cost of war as new research suggests Lebanon's GDP could shrink by over 20% amid the ongoing conflict. The US election is hotting up. We'll look at the cost of health care and how it might determine how people vote. And find out why a Tasmanian ferry takes an unexpected 'Berth' more than ten thousand miles away in Edinburgh.

The UK’s new Labour government has announced its first budget with big tax rises it says are needed to restore public services. Rahul Tandon examines whether a single budget has the power to transform an economy, and the challenges facing many high-income countries as they wrestle with budget holes and high debt. Elsewhere, embattled car giant Volkswagen reports a drop in profits, coming soon after reported layoffs and plant closures. Also, the Bank of Japan is set to announce interest rates, the first meeting since the country’s snap election. You can contact us on WhatsApp or send us a voicenote: +44 330 678 3033. We would love to hear from you.

Trouble for Volkswagen as its profits drop and it clashes with unions over possible plant closures, Roger Hearing finds out more.The EU imposes tariffs on electric vehicle imports from China, and there are reports from Beijing that the government is pushing its carmakers not to invest in EU members who backed the tariffs.Britain's new Labour government sets out its first budget with big tax rises it says are needed to restore public services.And we hear from India about the traditional push to buy gold ahead of the Diwali festival.

The European Commission has given approval for steep tariffs on electric vehicles made in China. It closes an investigation which started a year ago. They will remain in place for five years.We hear about plans by homeware company Ikea to put money into a hardship fund for victims of the former communist regime in East Germany. Some including political prisoners were forced to make products for the company.We hear about Tik Tok's founder Zhang Yiming. He is number one on China's Rich List with an estimated net worth of 49 billion dollars. Presenter Rahul Tandon examines these and some of the other global business stories of the day.

The UK's lowest-paid workers could get a salary increase of 6% next year according to local media reports. We look into the consequences this could have. Also in the programme, we talk to US voters in Nevada about their concerns regarding the rise in cost of living. And we hear about HSBC's unexpected jump in profits.

Japan’s Prime minister Shigeru Ishiba has insisted he will not step down despite a historic loss by the governing coalition in Sunday's elections. We examine the market’s reaction to the loss and look ahead to what this means for the coalition. Meanwhile, in Germany, Volkswagen plans to close three plants, lay off thousands of workers and cut pay by 10%, according to trade unions in negotiations with the car giant. And with only a week to go in the US election, we look at Pennsylvania, tipped to be one of the key swing states that will decide the election. You can contact us on WhatsApp or send us a voicenote: +44 330 678 3033. We would love to hear from you!

Struggling German car giant Volkswagen is planning to shut 3 factories in Germany according to the IGMetall Trade Union. We examine the problems facing the European car industry.Georgia’s elections were won by the ruling Georgian Dream party but opposition parties claim the election was stolen.Also, Japanese voters have given the ruling LDP a bloody nose in Sunday’s General Election. We speak to a leading Japanese economist about what happens now, now that no party has a parliamentary majority. You can contact us on WhatsApp or send us a voicenote: +44 330 678 3033. We would love to hear from you!

The big event of 2021 that will shape economies all over the world for decades to come was the COP 26 climate conference in Glasgow in November. The meeting saw a deluge of promises, but what was actually achieved? Martin Webber speaks to Tim Gould, chief energy economist at the International Energy Agency and economist Irwin Stelzer, from the Hudson Institute in the United States.It was another boom year for the pharmaceutical industry as it crafted the vaccines that have saved so many lives. Of the 8 billion coronavirus vaccinations worldwide, one billion have been delivered by the US logistics company, UPS. We hear from Wes Wealer, President of UPS healthcare.And small business owners have had a bleak time for much of the past year. But many of those that have survived now feel optimistic. We hear from the owner of the Aroma speciality coffee shop in Bologna in Italy, Cristina Caroli, about her year.

Covid-19 is set to prompt radical long term changes to how we live and work, so what lessons can be learnt when we eventually emerge from the pandemic? Could the changes in the way we work herald higher productivity and happier people in the future?We hear the stories of the people who managed to thrive during a very difficult year, including the milkman who saw a boom in deliveries and the dancer who found work in South Korea when the London stage went dark.Martin Webber is joined by Professor Devi Sridhar who holds the Chair of Global Public Health at the University of Edinburgh; economist Roger Bootle, of Capital Economics; Robert Reich, former Labour Secretary under President Clinton; Tomas Philipson, who was Chair of the Council of Economic Advisors under Mr Trump; and actor Thomas Inge who is currentl starring in the musical Cats in South Korea.