Business Daily

A chance to listen again as Will Bain and Rahul Tandon are joined by the BBC's India Business Correspondent Arunoday Mukherjee to look at the rise of the 'Cockroach movement'. They discuss the economic concerns of young people and the difficulties getting well paid jobs

Producer: Rebecca Smyllie

Editor: Stephen Ryan

Image description: Supporters of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) take part in a protest demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar in New Delhi, India, 10 October 2026. Thousands of security personnel were deployed across the Indian capital as demonstrators gathered to...

Young people in France are protesting over schooling conditions, whilst in Spain they have taken to the streets over housing. We ask if there is hope them, and how we can make a better future. Also, we unpack the deal for Paramount Skydance to officially take over Warner Bros Discovery in a $110bn merger. Connecting the time zones this week are Rahul Tandon in Salford, David Kuo in Malaysia and Emily Peck in New York to unpack the week's biggest business stories.

(Photo: Student protests over school conditions spread across France, Montpellier - 08 Oct 2026 Credit: EPA/Shutterstock)<...

With less than a month to go until the US mid-term elections, voters are preparing to head to the polls with the economy high on the agenda.

From the cost of living, interest rates and tariffs, how much will economic concerns shape the result?

Rahul Tandon, Michelle Fleury and Will Bain look at whether the economy could prove to be the defining issue of these mid-terms.

We meet Janice Bryant Howroyd, founder of ActOne Group. She arrived in Los Angeles with just $900 borrowed from her mother and went on to build a multi-billion-dollar business, becoming the first Black woman to own and run a billion-dollar company.

But Janice says the foundations of her success were laid much earlier, growing up as one of 11 children in the segregated American South. So, how did those early experiences shape the entrepreneur she would become?

Presented by Leanna Byrne Produced by Bisi Adebayo and Barbara George

(Picture: Janice Bryant Howroyd)

The El Nino in 2023 had a detrimental impact on the cocoa harvest in West Africa, prices quadrupled and businesses reacted.

Chocolate prices skyrocketed around the world, chocolate makers were reducing their cocoa content and in some cases making their products smaller.

Since then cocoa prices have come back down, but the cost of chocolate products hasn't followed, Hannah Mullane takes a look at why.

Now, the 2026 El Nino threatens to repeat history, cocoa prices have already started rising again as bad weather is expected to impact the next harvest.

Farmers, wholesalers...

With the cost of government debt reaching its highest for several decades, we're giving you another chance to hear our exploration of how the world became so dependent on bonds, those IOUs from governments and firms that helped build the modern economy. Bonds are often dismissed as a dull corner of finance, but behind the scenes they have played a central role in major economic dramas around the world.

We hear about their history, how they have shaped companies and countries, and why some fear the bond market could trigger the next global meltdown.

If...

Protests in Spain about 87-year-old Mariacarmen Abascal's eviction from social housing reignited the housing affordability debate globally, as inflation ticks up and career prospects for the young have been impacted by the rise in AI. We head to Nigeria, India and the UK to take stock on the issue.

Elsewhere, what can sliding sales at the world's largest automaker tell us about how drivers feel about big purchases?

We get the view from Jennifer Pak China and Professor Justin Wolfers in the US, where former MAGA fans are up in arms about the rising cost...

The AI race is speeding up: and so are the warnings about where it could lead. After President Trump met AI leaders to discuss how to make the technology safer without slowing America's progress, Michelle, Will and Rahul ask: can the AI industry really regulate itself?

Producer: Rebecca Smyllie

You can email the team: businessdaily@bbc.co.uk

(Photo: US President Donald Trump speaks with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg at the White House driveway following a luncheon for tech leaders in the East Room, in Washington, D.C., US, September 29, 2026. Credit: REUTERS/Kevin...

Who studies law but then forgets to apply for any graduate jobs because they've started blogging about web design and javascript? Cameron Adams, the billionaire co-founder of design app Canva. He did eventually land a coveted job at Google (thanks to that blogging), but failure on its Google Wave project ’ led to an introduction to Melanie Perkins and Cliff Obrecht, whose vision for making design accessible to everyone became Canva. In this interview, Cameron Adams reflects on the twists, setbacks and connections that shaped his entrepreneurial journey, and why he doesn't fear AI in th edesign process. Presented by Le...

A litre of beer at Munich’s Oktoberfest costs nearly €16; almost four times what a litre cost in 1991 after adjusting for inflation.

We follow the money behind the famous Maß, from the Munich brewery that supplies it, through the tent and the servers who sell it, to the City of Munich that runs the festival.

Who gets the biggest share, who carries the financial risk, and how much does Oktoberfest really make for the city?

Presenter: Sam Fenwick Producer: David Cann

(Picture: Visitors pose for a photograph in traditional Bavarian clothing durin...

We're heading west along America's famed Route 66. As the road celebrates its 100th birthday, Victoria Craig finds out whether the pull of neon-drenched nostalgia is still attracting visitors and whether new investment can secure the future of the towns that depend on it. Presenter/producer: Victoria Craig

You can email the team: businessdaily@bbc.co.uk

(Photo: A sign celebrating 100 years of Route 66: Credit: Victoria Craig)

In 1997, after years working abroad, Pramod Bhasin returned to India and spotted an opportunity that would help transform his country's economy.

Despite major telecommunications challenges, he went on to set up India's first call centre, laying the foundations for a new outsourcing industry.

In 2019, he told Rebecca Kesby how he overcame unreliable phone lines, scepticism and technical hurdles to turn an ambitious idea into reality.

Witness History is a short BBC World Service podcast about history that takes you inside big moments from the past through first-hand testimony and archive. Each weekday, in...

What's next for trade, tariffs and AI after Presidents Trump and Xi met at the White House? We examine what was agreed, whether tensions between the world's two biggest economies are easing, and what it could mean for technology, business and global trade. Vishala Sri-Pathma is joined by Henry Wang from the Center for China and Globalization and the AI researcher and author Stephanie Hare.

Producer: Josh Martin

You can email the team: businessdaily@bbc.co.uk

The presidents of the world's two biggest economies are meeting in Washington. Donald Trump and Xi Jinping meet at the White House amid tensions over Iran, Taiwan, artificial intelligence and international trade. Our North American business correspondent Samira Hussain and senior China correspondent Laura Bicker assess what both sides want from the visit and how the relationship between the two leaders could shape the outcome.

Presenter: Vishala Sri-Pathma Producer: Gideon Long

You can email the team: businessdaily@bbc.co.uk

(Picture: U.S. President Donald Trump with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing...

Jacob Rothman moved from California to China and helped build a manufacturing business supplying some of the world's biggest retailers. We meet the co-founder of Velong Enterprises to hear how he built the company across Asia and how an unlikely career path took him to the heart of global manufacturing. He also reflects on entrepreneurship, manufacturing in China and how global trade is changing.

Producer: Bisi Adebayo

You can email the team: businessdaily@bbc.co.uk

(Picture: Jacob Rothman)

Most toys sold in America are made in China. But cheap labour is no longer the main reason manufacturers stay there. As the US toy industry presses for tariffs on toys to be removed, we follow the journey of a $30 toy from a factory in Guangdong, through shipping and the US border, to the shelves of American retailers. Along the way, we find out how much the factory gets, what shipping costs add to the price, how much of the final price stays in America, and the impact of President Trump's tariffs on Chinese imports.

Presenter: Sam...

With Presidents Xi and Trump expected to meet in the United States this week, Will Bain looks back on the history of trade between the two great nations.

It's always been fraught with controversy but there's also been a need or desire to get along.

President Nixon was the first to visit China in 1972 and spoke with passion about the possibilities for the future between them.

Trade then grew quickly but it became very one sided as China developed as an industrial nation.

There have been several attempts to curb its...

AI: Existential threat or billion-dollar opportunity? The increasingly loud and often stark warnings from inside the tech industry - about the dangers AI might already be posing.

Plus we dig into the interest rate rises facing US and European consumers. And ask whether an ABBA singalong of Mamma Mia was enough to swing the Swedish election.

Taking Stock looks back at the week in business, economic and geopolitical news with a panel that stretches across timezones. This week Rema Rahman the White House and Politics Editor from Bloomberg Government joins us from Washington DC and...

Xbox is 25 years old and faces some of its biggest challenges yet. As cloud gaming grows and the AI boom reshapes the technology industry, even Xbox CEO Asha Sharma has acknowledged that the business "hasn't been healthy" in recent years. So does Xbox have a future? Will Bain speaks to former Xbox executive Peter Moore and BBC technology reporter Laura Cress about whether Microsoft's gaming brand can reinvent itself.

Producer: Gideon Long

You can email the team: businessdaily@bbc.co.uk

(Picture: Visitors play Stalker 2 in front of monitors at the Microsoft Xbox...

Artificial intelligence is developing faster than many experts predicted, bringing extraordinary opportunities as well as growing concerns. Some of the industry's leading figures are even calling for the pace of development to slow while governments and technology companies grapple with how best to manage the risks. So can humanity remain in control of AI, and how should we govern a technology that is advancing so rapidly? Presenter/producer: Ed Butler

You can email us: businessdaily@bbc.co.uk

(Picture: A Jio humanoid robot named Elixis at the AI Impact Summit, in New Delhi, India, February 17, 2026...

The Ebola outbreak in the DRC has claimed more than 3,400 lives and infected thousands more. Despite the scale of the outbreak, there is still no approved vaccine for the latest strain.Leanna Byrne examines what it takes and who pays to develop a vaccine. We look at what's slowing vaccine development and whether the limited commercial market for Ebola vaccines means governments, charities and international donors must step in to fund research.

Producer: Matt Lines

You can email the team: businessdaily@bbc.co.uk

(Picture: Sanitation measures underway at Bunia market to contain...

Economic unease is growing among Russian workers as fuel shortages and Ukrainian drone strikes disrupt key sectors of the economy. Ed Butler examines the pressures facing businesses, workers and consumers, from damaged refineries to attacks on Wildberries warehouses. As concerns grow over prices, jobs and supply chains, what do these disruptions reveal about the resilience of Russia's wartime economy?

Presenter: Ed Butler Producer: Victoriya Holland

(Picture: A queue at a petrol station due to fuel shortage following a spate of Ukrainian attacks on oil refineries, amid the Russia-Ukraine conflict, in the Russian Black Sea resort...

Across Asia, a growing number of young people are becoming hikikomori, a term used to describe individuals experiencing severe social withdrawal. They shut themselves away at home, retreating from work, school and even family life for months, sometimes years.Some countries, including South Korea, are trying an unexpected approach: government-backed AI chatbots designed to help socially isolated young people reconnect with society. But can artificial companions help tackle loneliness, or could they deepen it?

This bonus episode comes from Asia Specific, another BBC World Service podcast hosted by Mariko Oi. It discusses issues including social isolation and...

Mark Carney and Donald Trump go tit-for-tat as the list of goods subject to tariffs between the US and Canada continues to grow. But will higher import taxes on products crossing the border make cost-of-living pressures even worse for Canadians and Americans? Takara Small in Toronto and Andy Uhler in Austin join Will Bain to discuss the highlights and lowlights of the week's business news, including the much-hyped launch of Apple's first foldable smartphone and the return, at least in cinemas, of convicted fraudster Elizabeth Holmes.

Presenter: Will Bain Producer: Josh Martin

(Photo: US President...

This week on Power Players, Will Bain is joined by BBC Business Editor Simon Jack to explore the future of energy giant BP. The past six years have seen significant boardroom churn, while the company has sent mixed messages to investors after scaling back plans to become a greener energy business. We examine whether the company's new leaders can restore confidence and set a clearer strategy.

Producer: Rebecca Smyllie

You can email the team: businessdaily@bbc.co.uk

(Picture: A British Petroleum gas station with the BP oil refinery in background in Whiting...

Many entrepreneurs would be happy to sell one great idea to a larger business, cash out and put their feet up. Not Marcia Kilgore. The Canadian swapped small-town Saskatchewan for the wealthy clients of Manhattan, New York and sold her first venture, Bliss Spa to luxury giant LVMH. She then went on to found another three multimiilion-dollar enterprises. What did she learn along the way, how does she back herself when importaer syndrome strikes and what's next on her list.

Presenter: Hannah Mullane Producer: Victoriya Holland

(Image Credit: Marcia Kilgore stands in a London street...

The number of students going to university globally has more than doubled in the last 20 years.

269 million students around the world are enrolled in higher education, if those students were a country, it would be the 5th most populous in the world.

At the same time youth unemployment is growing and there’s a slowing of that graduate premium - the extra money you'll earn because of your degree - so is it still worth it?

Presenter: Hannah Mullane Producer: Matt Lines

(Image Credit: Graduates from abroad fling their graduation caps in...

There's a general fear that artificial intelligence could make huge swathes of workers redundant, but are those fears unjustified? Rob Young asks what history can tell us about big technological leaps and how they changed the world of work at the time. And how much of the rate of change comes down to customer preference - would you rather deal with a bot or a person? Presented and produced by Rob Young.

(Photo: A square computer chip, with its circuitry illuminated in pink and white light and has the text Powered by AI on it as a...

This week we've heard lots of talk about rising bond yields, from Japan to the UK and the US, and alongside this government debt is growing all around the world.

And that all plays into a feeling that many people have that life is about to get more expensive and that in many places interest rates are set to rise.

This week on Taking Stock, Rahul Tandon is joined by David Kuo, co-founder of The Smart Investorin Singapore and German business journalist Ellen Frauenknecht

Presenter: Rahul Tandon Producer: Matt Lines

(Image...

We dig into the finances behind "the beautiful game" after English football's Premier League just spent $4.7 billion on new players. What's behind football's richest competition an dis its success sustainable.

Presenters: Will Bain and Rahul Tandon Producer: Rebecca Smyllie

(Image: Stamford Bridge, London, Britain - August 30, 2026 Chelsea's Cole Palmer celebrates scoring their fourth goal with Morgan Rogers REUTERS/David Klein)

Allison Ellsworth, founder of ​Poppi soft drinks, started the beverage business as a kitchen experiment, with a Soda Stream and apple cider vinegar. She speaks to Leanna Byrne about pitching for funding on TV programme Shark Tank while nine months pregnant, relaunching during Covid lockdowns and becoming the number one soda on Amazon in the US and her $1.95 billion exit with PepsiCo.

Presenter: Leanna Byrne

Producers: Niamh McDermott and Victoriya Holland.

You can email the team: businessdaily@bbc.co.uk

(Photo credit: Allison Ellsworth/Supplied)

Think of an electric vehicle, and you'll probably imagine a Tesla. But China is the world's biggest EV exporter, despite being largely shut out of the US market. How has the country seemingly come from nowhere to dominate the world of electric mobility and how can its Evs be made so cheap? Presenter: Felicity Hannah Producer: Josh Martin

(Photo: A man looks inside the Changan Deepal S05 REEV during a press conference for the unveiling of the Chinese model at the WesBank Festival of Motoring in Johannesburg, South Africa, August 27, 2026. Picture taken with a mobile phone. REUTERS...

Emily Wither reports from Istanbul finding out why that 'Made in Turkey' label in so much of our clothing could disappear as the industry faces competition from countries like Egypt, Turkey battles huge inflation and hundreds of factories go bankrupt leaving tens of thousands out of work (Photo: A worker in a Turkish garment factory in Istanbul works at a table. Credit: Emily Wither/Supplied)

This week on Taking Stock, Rahul Tandon is joined by journalist Nga Pham in Hanoi, Vietnam, and economist Justin Wolfers in Michigan, USA, to unpack Nvidia’s soaring quarterly results and what they signal about the global race in artificial intelligence.

They also discuss Meta’s settlement agreement and the wider regulatory pressures facing tech giants, as well as fresh sanctions imposed on Iran by the United States.

Presenter: Rahul Tandon Producer: Rebecca Smyllie

(Photo credit: Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang speaks during a doorstep after attending the AI Ecosystem Reception in Tokyo, Japan, July...

For years, China’s property boom helped drive the country’s extraordinary economic growth. At the centre of it was Evergrande, which grew from a regional developer into a sprawling corporate empire, and one of the world’s most indebted companies.

Then the debts caught up with it. Evergrande’s collapse exposed the vulnerabilities of China’s property model, helping push the wider housing market into crisis and weighing on the country’s economy.

Now its founder, Hui Ka-yan, has been sentenced to life in prison for crimes including bribery and illegal use of funds.

Will Ba...

Sophia Amoruso, founded of Nasty Gal after a successful stint of eBay upselling. It grew into a company worth hundreds of millions and allowed its founder to claim the title of original "girlboss" but eventually filed for bankruptcy. In the space of a few years, she had swapped shoplifting items to sell on Amazon and eBay for clinking champagne flutes in the South of France, schmoozing investors and having her book turned into a Netflix series and dealing with unhappy employees. Did swift success stifle what Nasty Gal could have become?

Presenter: Leanna Byrne Producers: Niamh McDermott...

Europe's drought has reduced water levels on the Danube, causing headaches and lost income for companies generating electricity from hydro, coal-fired and nuclear power plants.

We travel down the river, stopping off in Austria, Hungary, Serbia and Romania to look at how each country is dealing with the challenges and what ordinary people are doing to help.

Presenter: Hannah Mullane

Producer: Gideon Long

Credit: Photo by ZOLTAN BALOGH/EPA/Shutterstock People check the Danube River as it flows at a record-low water level in downtown Budapest, Hungary, 28 July 2026)

Europe is taking an increasingly tough line on trade with China, accusing Beijing of subsidising exports and flooding European markets with cheap goods. Businesses and governments warn that Chinese competition is putting European industries and jobs at risk, while China's growing dominance of supply chains is adding to concerns in Brussels. Ed Butler asks whether these accusations are fair, what Europe can do about them, and whether the two sides are heading for a new trade war.

Producer/presenter: Ed Butler

You can email the team: businessdaily@bbc.co.uk

(Photo: A staff...

The proposed sale of the LA Lakers has reignited debate about the soaring value of sports teams. Here's another chance to hear our episode exploring what drives the value of a basketball franchise.

Presenter/producer: Guy Kilty Editor: Helen Thomas

Episode first published on 27 November 2025

You can email the team: businessdaily@bbc.co.uk

What does the future hold for social media? Will Bain is joined by Takara Small in Toronto and Han Lin in Shanghai to discuss growing legal challenges facing Meta over how its platforms target and affect young users, and what the latest case could mean for the company and the wider industry. They also look at the extraordinary stock market debut of Chinese robotics company Unitree, whose shares jumped by 500%, and ask what could happen next as the US considers new tariffs on Canada.

You can email the team: businessdaily@bbc.co.uk

Presenter: Will...