Inside Business with Ciaran Hancock

As the annual World Economic Forum enters its third day, host Ciarán Hancock is joined from Davos in the Swiss Alps by Irish Times Economics Correspondent Eoin Burke-Kennedy.

US President Donald Trump’s push to take over Greenland, and the strain it is putting on EU-US relations, has dominated this year’s event so far. Trump is due to arrive in Davos on Wednesday afternoon.

On Tuesday, French president Emmanuel Macron openly accused the US of trying to “subordinate” Europe and referred to the consequences that could arise from this “new colonial approach”.

Also on Tuesday, Canadian prime minister Mark Carney was damning in his assessment of Donald Trump’s impact on global politics and a “fading” rules-based order. He also warned countries against a policy of appeasement when it comes to major powers like the US.

Speaking in Davos, Minister for Enterprise Peter Burke echoed the concerns of many there, he told those in attendance that US strategy on Greenland, and the threat of tariffs to countries opposing the move, was effectively “tearing apart” the EU-US trade deal.

Produced by John Casey with JJ Vernon on sound.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this week’s episode, host Ciarán Hancock is joined in studio by the Irish Times economics experts Cliff Taylor and Eoin Burke-Kennedy.

Tensions are rising between US President Donald Trump and the Federal Reserve. Trump has made it very clear that he is no fan of Fed chief Jerome Powell who is due to step down from his post in May, and that he wants the Fed to be more aggressive with interest rate cuts to stimulate the economy.

Those tensions ratcheted up considerably when the US Department of Justice opened an investigation into Powell, and his handling of a $2.5 billion renovation of the central bank’s headquarters.

Powell has publicly pushed back and warned the independence of the Fed is at stake, and senior central bank figures from around the world have also expressed their support for Powell.

Cliff and Eoin also look at Ireland’s decision to vote against the Mercosur trade deal at EU level, it is still going to go through of course, but voting against it has led to charges of hypocrisy given all the talk from Government about Ireland being a small open economy that relies on the free movement of trade and services.

Produced by John Casey with JJ Vernon on sound.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2025 proved to be a record year for tax receipt figures, with the total hitting €106bn.

This was despite extensive warnings about the State’s precarious position due to Donald Trump’s series of tariffs, and the number of big multinationals that use Ireland as an export base.

It was another bumper year for corporation tax receipts as they exceeded expectations, but perhaps the non-corporation tax take offers the clearest insight into how Ireland’s economic growth will progress as we start 2026.

For analysis of the numbers, host Cliff Taylor is joined in studio by chief economist at Davy, Kevin Timoney.

Also on this week’s Inside Business, we look at how new EV sales increased last year to overtake diesel, a massive turnaround from 2023 and 2024, which saw EV sales plummet.

Will this trend continue? Can charging infrastructure start to meet demand? And what’s being done to increase road safety?

Irish Times Motoring Editor Michael McAleer gives his take on the trends hitting Irish roads in 2026.

Produced by John Casey with JJ Vernon on sound.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For this week’s episode, host Ciarán Hancock Is joined by an expert panel to look forward to 2026.

After another record-breaking year for corporate tax receipts, is there now a real threat of concentration risk in the Irish economy?

A huge amount of money has been raised and spent on AI, but where is it at in terms of its development? When will investors start looking for a tangible return?

And will Donald Trump turn his attention back to economic matters after moves to end the conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine? Could more tariffs be on the way in 2026?

The panel comprises CEO of the Sherry Fitzgerald Group, Marian Finnegan, tech entrepreneur and columnist at the Irish Times, Chris Horn, and Irish Times Economics Correspondent, Eoin Burke-Kennedy.

Produced by John Casey with JJ Vernon on sound.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For this episode of Inside Business, host Ciarán Hancock is joined by a panel of experts to discuss the major stories of 2025.

A busy year in markets was dominated by US president Donald Trump’s threats to impose huge tariffs on the United States’ trading partners, including Ireland.

Ireland’s housing crisis showed no sign of improvement with completions trending well below Government targets.

And another record-breaking year for corporate tax receipts, coupled with Ireland's gross domestic product (GDP) growing exceptionally by over 10%, meant that the economy is in rude health as we head into 2026.

The panel comprises Aidan Donnelly, Head of Global Equities at Davy, Susan Hayes Culleton, Managing Director, HayesCulleton Group, and Cliff Taylor of the Irish Times.

Produced by John Casey with JJ Vernon on sound.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.