Taking Stock

This week on Taking Stock Susan Hayes Culleton talks to retail and fashion consultant Eddie Shanahan and Food and Wine Writer Tom Doorley about how weight loss drugs are starting to impact fashion and hospitality. Susan also talks to Ben Hall of the Financial Times about how Europe might fare militarily without the help of the USA and asks could it defend itself?Plus, Susan chats to author Andrew McNally about his fascinating book 'Debtonator; How Debt Favours the Few and Equity Can Work for All of Us'

This week on Taking Stock, Susan speaks to straight-talking economist Mark Blyth about the book he co-authored ‘Inflation: A Guide for User and Losers.In a week where it was reported that Ford have replaced AI systems with humans, Susan talks to Tech Journalist Chris Stokel-Walker about where AI is and isn’t workingPlus, the town that Musk built; Susan hears from Stephaine Findlay of the Financial Times about the town in Texas that is forming around Space X.

This week on Taking Stock, Susan is joined by Cliff Taylor, Columnist with The Irish Times to discuss Alan Greenspan, who served 19 years as Fed Chair, under four Presidents in the US, and his ’100 year’ legacy. Also joining to discuss signs that Vegas has a K-shaped economy is Rachel Louise Ensign, Reporter with the Wall Street Journal, and Mark Hennessy, Ireland and Britain Editor of the Irish Times, joins to discuss the game of musical chairs being played in 10 Downing Street.

This week on Taking Stock, Susan speaks to economist Austin Hughes asking are 20-somethings are worse off than their parents. Shona Murray, Europe Correspondent with Euronews joins Susan to discuss the opportunities and related costs the EU presidency could bring to Ireland. Plus, with the rise and rise of the tech sector in the stock market and particularly with SpaceX’s meteoric rise, is diversification dead in passive investing? Jack Delany, Senior Multi-Asset Portfolio Manager from Irish Life Investment Managers comments.

This week on Taking Stock, Susan is joined by Jack Power, EU Correspondent for The Irish Times to discuss the potential of Iceland joining the EU. Also joining to examine Ireland’s place in the ‘blue economy’ is Minna Epps, Global Ocean Policy Director at IUCN Centre for Policy and Law.Plus, Newstalk’s Technology Correspondent Jess Kelly joins to discuss everything announced at Apple’s latest WWDC event - and why we won’t be seeing some things just yet in Europe.

This week on Taking Stock, Susan speaks to Larissa Feeney, CEO Kinore Finance & Business Services, about whether remote working, not AI, is to blame for weak junior hiring.Three of the most valuable private companies in the world are set to make their stock market debuts. Ronan Reid, Non-Executive Director of the Cantor Fitzgerald Ireland Group joins Susan to discuss.Plus, Russell Vickers, Co-founder and CEO of Future Mobility Campus Ireland joins Susan to discuss how close we really are to a future where cars drive themselves.

This week on Taking Stock, Susan looks at the economics of failure and asks - have we completely misunderstood the importance of not getting it right? Emma Howard, Economics Lecturer at TU Dublin; Bernie Bulkin, author of 'Why Start-ups Fail'; and Kevin O’Loughlin, CEO Of Nostra, join Susan to discuss.Plus, the science, economics, and pitfalls of using wearable technologies with Stephen O Rourke, Clinical Specialist & Musculoskeletal Chartered Physiotherapist at the Mater University Hospital.

This week on Taking Stock Susan looks at the effect that hit tv shows are having on tourist destinations like Paris and Belfast, when she talks to Travel Writer Joan Scales. Susan also talks to Peter Campbell of the Financial Times about how Low-Cost airfares might be under threat given all that's going on in the world. Plus, China Expert Leo Austin talks to Susan about the strange status of Taiwan and why the country is so important for the security of the globe.

This week on Taking Stock, Susan is joined by Gillian Knight to talk about how recruitment is changing and how people want non-monetary benefits these days.Darragh Gaffney, Head of R&D Incentives at Leyton Ireland, explains the R&D tax credit, and how it is being used as a tool to encourage and incentivise R&D in Ireland.Plus, Soumaya Keynes, economics columnist for the Financial Times, on her new book ‘’How to Win a Trade War’.

This week on Taking Stock, Susan is joined in studio by author, columnist and OBE Gillian Tett, who looks at how global markets are surging despite war.Susan speaks to Julia Khrebtan-Hörhager of Colorado State University about how Europe needs to forge a new and old alliance in the age of Trumpism.Plus, Christ Stokel-Walker looks at the showdown between the world’s biggest tech bros.

This week on Taking Stock Susan Hayes Culleton hears how the ‘petrodollar’ came into being and why its days might be numbered, when she talks to Brendan Greeley who is the author of the upcoming book ‘The Almighty Dollar: 500 Years of the World’s Most Powerful Money’Susan also talks to Rana Foroohar, associate Editor at the Financial Times, who tells us how healthcare is driving the US Economy for all the wrong reasons.  Plus, Susan talks to Shefaly M Yogendras who is the author of a new book ‘Uncharted Spaces’ which challenges boards to become braver, bolder and more inclusive.

This week on Taking Stock Susan Hayes Culleton talks to Stephanie Stacey of the Financial Times about why this Summer's World Cup isn't generating the business or ticket sales that many were expecting. Political Economist Will Hutton tells us that the UK are on the road back to a much closer relationship with Europe. Plus, a new AI tool called 'Claude' is sending shock waves across financial institutions and Susan talks to Matteo Wong of the Atlantic about its possible outcomes.

This week on Taking Stock Susan Hayes Culleton talks to Prue Leith about her business life and times, her writing and 'The Great British Bake Off'. Susan also chats to journalist and writer Harry Wallop about what he sees as the 'tyranny' of too many meetings in the modern workplace. Plus, DC Cahalane of Sure Valley Ventures talks about the state of the venture capital market in Ireland.

This week on Taking Stock Susan Hayes Culleton talks to Anthony Klotz the man who coined the phrase the ‘Great Resignation’  about the slew of people quitting their jobs post pandemic. He talks about his new book, ‘Jolted’ which looks at the science of quitting and when you know it’s time to leave your job.Susan also talks to economist John Fitzgerald about Global debt reaching its highest rate since World War 2.Plus, amid such global uncertainty Susan talks to retail expert Catherine Shuttlerworth about the changing face of retail and why we are shopping differently.

This week on Taking Stock Susan Hayes Culleton talks to Guy Chazan of the Financial Times who spent time in the Southern States of America to see what tangible impact the crackdown on illegal immigration is having on the economy. Susan also chats to Lucy Standing about her book 'Age Against the Machine' that looks at ageist attitudes in the workforce. Plus, economist Jim Power on what the government should really do to fight inflation.

This week on Taking Stock Susan Hayes Culleton talks to Muireann Lynch of the ERSI about how the conflict in the Middle East may be forcing people to become more environmentally conscious.  Susan also talks to aviation expert Anita Mendiratta about how some airlines are benefitting from other airlines being grounded due to the war.Plus, we hear what Ireland might learn from Sweden when it comes to savings schemes. Susan chats to Fiona Redden of the Irish Times.    

This week on Taking Stock, Susan Hayes Culleton talks to investigative journalist Oliver Bullough about his book new book 'Everybody Loves Our Dollars' about how rampant money laundering has become. Soumaya Keynes of the Financial Times talks to Susan about the changing nature of night-time working. Plus, we hear about the strange economy of the breakaway state of Somaliland.

This week on Taking Stock Susan talks to China Expert Leo Austin about how China’s economy is viewed in very different ways by different people. Susan also talks to Donal MacNamee of the Business Post about Zippay coming to the Irish financial landscape. Plus, tech journalist Elaine Burke of the future arrival of 6G.

This week on Taking Stock Susan Hayes Culleton talks to Denis Staunton of the Irish Times about the roots of the conflict between Iran and America.With the news that Warner has ultimately been sold to Paramount Susan talks to Screentime Presenter John Fardy about why Netflix didn’t win the bid.Plus, we hear about a by-election in the UK that may be signaling a seismic shift in UK politics.   

This week on Taking Stock Susan gets up to speed on new global tariff developments when she talks to Enda Curran of Bloomberg in Washington. We hear about Swizz plans to possibly put a cap on its population. Plus, Susan talks to the Godfather of Information Management, John Mancini ahead of the Convergent Document Management & AI Leadership Summit.

In a week where we heard about YouTuber Logan Paul selling a Pokémon card for millions, Susan talks to entertainment journalist Olivia Fahy about how lucrative being a Youtuber can be.We hear all about the new incoming Fed chief Kevin Warsh when Susan talks to Victoria Guida of Politico about what the appointment might mean for the US Economy.Plus, why ‘copper’ is becoming such an essential component for so many things; Susan talks to Eric Onstad of Reuters about what a slowdown in supply would mean for so many of our appliances.  

This week on Taking Stock Susan Hayes Culleton looks at the behavioural economics around Valentine’s Day when she talks to Emma Howard of TU Dublin  With the news that Cuba is running out of Jet Fuel Susan talks to Jude Webber of the Financial Times about the state of the island nation.Plus, how can you have a 100-year loan? Susan is joined by Leoine MacCann of Irish Life Investment Managers to look at Alphabet and the 100-year bond fund.

This week on Taking Stock, Susan talks to the author Niall Kishtainy about his brilliant book ‘A Little History of Economics’ that has some big ideas.Susan also takes a close look at the economics involved in the massive theme parks of Disneyland and Disney World.Plus, Hannah Lang of Reuters gets us up to speed on all that’s going on in the world of crypto.  

This week on Taking Stock Susan talks to Soumaya Keynes of the Financial Times about the strange economic outlook that might see business in the UK closing but yet productivity improving.Susan also talks to Leo Lewis in Toyoko about the upcoming election and the volatile nature of the Japanese economy.Plus, PwC's Robert Byrne, Technology Data & AI Partner, looks at how AI might help Irish businesses in 2026.

This week on Taking Stock, Susan looks at how much money you can save by spending one whole day looking at your bills when she talks to Michael Houghton of the Irish FIRE Podcast.When it comes to infrastructure Austria is leading the way and we hear what other countries could learn when Susan talks to Jonathan Tirone of Bloomberg.Plus, Amy Kazmin of the Financial Times tells us why Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is becoming an unlikely conduit between President Trump and the EU.

On this month's Techscape, with thanks to Renault, Susan talks to Helen Coffey of The Independent who had a very unusual job interview.

This week on Taking Stock Susan Hayes talks to renowned writer Simon Kuper about why Donald Trump does not actually meet the criteria of being called a 'fascist'. In the monthly 'Techscape' slot Susan talk to Helen Coffey of The Independet about her experience of being interviewed by an AI recruiter.Plus, Susan is also joined by Claer Barret of the FT and by Jennifer Loftus of the Acorn Life Group to talk about the growing number of people who don't want to retire.

Following several high-profile management sackings in the English Premiership of late, this week on Taking Stock Susan Hayes Culleton looks at the economics behind football managers at Premier League clubs when she talks to Chief Sports reporter for The Times UK, Martyn Ziegler and football finance expert at the University of Liverpool, Kieran Maguire.What now for Global Oil following the crisis in Venezuela? Susan is joined by Jamie Smyth who is the US Energy Editor at the Financial Times.Plus, in the run up to CAO deadline, Susan asks why more people don’t consider ‘apprenticeships’ when she talks to Gemma Lawlor who is Guidance Counsellor at Tyndall College Carlow.

This week on Taking Stock Susan Hayes Culleton looks at how much you might save when you go ‘dry’ for January. She talks to Conor Pope of the Irish Times about what he has found.Susan also talks to aviation expert Jeff Wise about the possible return of ‘supersonic’ flight.Plus, we ask what impact Trump’s Tariffs are having on American citizens. Susan talks to Jordyn Dahl of Politico.

This week on a special Taking Stock Susan Hayes Culleton talks to some of her regular contributors about their favourite 'non-fiction' books of the year. Expect some surprises.

This week on Taking Stock Susan Hayes Culleton looks at how Christmas is celebrated around the world and the different ways different nations spend their money and their festive season when she talks to Emma Howard Economist at TU Dublin.In this month’s ‘Techscape’, with thanks to Renault, Susan talks to Newstalk’s own John Fardy about the ‘cinematic’ scale of the battle between Netflix and Paramount to buy Warner.Plus, is the European Single Market dead? Susan talks to Ben Hall and Henry Foy of the Financial Times about the declining belief in the market among European economies.

This week on Taking Stock Susan Hayes Culleton looks at the projection by the WHO that global obesity levels will double by 2030 when she talks to Eric Finkelstein, Professor of Health Services Research and Population Health at Duke-NUS Medical School.Staying with health she is joined by Conor Pope of the Irish Times to look at why more people are taking out health insurance despite the rising costs.Plus, who are ‘Generation Alpha’? Susan talks to Professor Joe Nellis, economic adviser to Baker Tilly Ireland, about the generation born since 2010 and how they differ to all who have gone before.

This week on Taking Stock, Susan Hayes Culleton looks at the financial and legal implications of deciding to separate. Keith Walsh of Keith Walsh Solicitors & Nick Charalambous, Managing Director with Alpha Wealth, join Susan to discuss.Is cryptocurrency the new bellwether for problems in the stock market? Joining Susuan to discuss is Kate Martin, Markets Columnist at the Financial Times.Plus, Katy Balls, Washington Editor and Columnist with The Times and Sunday Times, outlines how Donald Trump’s biggest problem is sitting in the data centres of Silicon Valley.

This week on the monthly 'Techscape' slot on Taking Stock with thanks to Renault, Susan is joined by tech journalist Andy O'Donoghue to look at how AI is changing the business of coding.

This week on Taking Stock Susan Hayes Culleton looks at Night-Time economies here in Ireland and elsewhere around the world when she talks to Ray O’Donoghue, Dublin’s Night-Time Economy Advisor and Jo Cox Brown, CEO of Night Time Economy Solutions.In the monthly Techscape slot Susan talks to Tech Expert Andy O'Donoghue about how we are now in a 'low-code/no-code' world where AI is capable of doing lots of our coding. Plus, with the news of Pascal Donohoe is to take up a new job at the World Bank, Susan talks to economist Jim Power about what the Bank actually does and what its value is.

This week on Taking Stock Susan Hayes Culleton looks at the global cruise ship market when she talks to Paul Hackett of Click and Go.  Susan also looks at the growing popularity of Singles’ Day and how it's becoming a retail phenomenon when she talks to Money Expert Kel Galavan. Plus, considering the recent management crisis at the BBC, Susan talks to Professor Steven Barnett of the University of Westminster and asks if it’s time for a new funding model for the Beeb.  

This week on Taking Stock Susan Hayes Culleton talks to Harry Halem who is Senior Research Fellow in the National Security Unit at Policy Exchange and is the author of a controversial paper that claims Ireland has reached its peak and other countries need to take note! Susan also looks at how the global 'chocolate' market is changing due to pressure on cocoa farmers when she talks to Dr. Kristy Leissle, Founder & CEO of African Cocoa Marketplace.Plus, with the longest government shutdown ever taking place in the US, Susan talks to Will Hodgson of the FT in Washington about what it's doing to the world's biggest economy.

This week on Taking Stock, Mandy Jonston sits in for Susan and is joined by Russ Mould of AJ Bell to look at just how troublesome or not President Trump’s tariffs have been to global markets.Mandy talks to tech journalist Chris Stokel-Walker about Nvidia now being the world’s most valuable company.Plus, we enter the Video Game ‘Wars’ when Mandy talks to Olivia Fahy of Geek Ireland about which console maker is proving the most popular with gamers.

This week on Taking Stock Susan Hayes Culleton talks to Arthur Kay, co-author of ‘Roadkill: Unveiling the True Cost of Our Toxic Relationship with Cars.’   Susan is also joined by Mairéad O'Driscoll, professional tax advisor AKA The Tax Nerd, to look at how to minimize your Capital Gains Tax and what you might be liable for.  Plus, we hear about the incredible business journey of the much-loved toy that is LEGO.  

This week on Taking Stock  Susan Hayes Culleton talks to Ken Hughes the author of ‘Taylormaking: A New Era of Modern Branding and Customer Connection’ which explores what we can learn from Taylor Swift’s unique ability to build loyalty, intimacy, and emotional connection with her fans — and translates that into a playbook for modern business. Susan asks what is behind this rise of Silver, and does it have the same strategic ‘power’ as Gold? She is joined by Edel Tully, the Director of Financial Services at the London Bullion Market Association.  Plus, with news that the German government is trying to incentivize retirees to work longer, Susan talks to Economist Austin Hughes and Caroline Reidy of the HR Suite about the changing demographics around ‘Retirment’.  

This week on Taking Stock Susan Hayes Culleton looks at the growing trend of people tuning away from social media when she talks to regular tech contributors Chris Stokel-Walker and Elaine Burke.  With France going through more political and economic turmoil, Susan is joined by Mike O’Sullivan, author of The Levelling.Plus, with more mortgage providers entering the market, Susan talks to Michael Dowling from Irish Mortgage Brokers about how the market might be changing.

With the campaigns to be the next Irish President in full swing, this week on Taking Stock Susan looks at how much candidates are spending and what is the cost of the office to the economy, when she talks to Tech and Democracy Strategist Liz Carolan.Norway is always held up as the ‘best-in-class’ when it comes to managing the public finances and Susan take a deep dive into Norwegian economic Miracle when she talks to Allister Doyle the former Oslo Bureau chief at Reuters Plus, in the run up to the budget Susan talks to Michelle Murphy of Social Justice Ireland about how a society is more than just an economy.

With the huge success of The Traitors Ireland, this week on Taking Stock Susan Hayes Culleton talks to Jill Downey, Managing Director of Core Sponsorship, who led negotiations on all the major brand deals for the show.With more and more companies spending eye-watering amounts of money on AI, Susan talks to Melissa Heikkila of the Financial Times about where this money is going and to what end.Plus, a new report suggests that under current policies, oil and gas use could actually keep rising all the way to 2050, putting the world on course for dangerous levels of warming. Susan talks to Paul Deane, Senior Lecturer in Clean Energy Futures at University College Cork.

This week on Taking Stock Susan Hayes Culleton looks at the idea of the ’15-Minute’ city, where urban planning allows for residents to be only ever 15 minutes away from everything and anything they need. She is joined by Aitor Hernández-Morales of Politico.Sinead Ryan talks to Susan about the changing saving and spending habits of Gen Z.Plus, Susan debates the merits of scrapping ‘earnings’ calls as President Trump has called for, when she chats to Russ Mould of AJ Bell.

This week on Taking Stock Susan Hayes Culleton looks at how agentic AI is changing and maybe making customer service a lot poorer when she talks to Elaine Burke of the ‘For Tech’s Sake’ Podcast and Ecommerce expert Vinny O’Brien.With an eventful week for the Murdoch Family, Susan talks to Hannah Miller of Bloomberg about their new ‘succession’ plan.Plus, in a week where the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council tells government to slow down on spending, Susan talks to IFAC chairman Seamus Coffey.   

This week on Taking Stock Susan Hayes Culleton convenes a panel of some of Ireland’s busiest entrepreneurs when she talks to Pat McDonagh of Supermac’s, Lorriane Heskin of Gourmet Food Parlour and John Purdy of Ergo. We hear what they think the government needs to do to improve the landscape for indigenous Irish companies.Plus, with a possible IMF bailout being mentioned in France, Susan talks to Sarah Collins of the Business Post in Brussels about where France is heading.

This week on Taking Stock Susan Hayes Culleton talks to Darina Allen of Ballymaloe Cookery School and Jack Spillane of Spillane World Markets about the economics of Farmers and Food Markets.Susan also looks at the economic impact of Ireland’s rising population when she talks to planning expert Conor Skehan and Professor of Geography at Maynooth University Mary Gilmartin.Plus, with the news that Germany are going to start giving each child 10 Euros to invest every month Susan talks to Olaf Storbeck of the Financial Times about Germany’s faltering economy.

This week on Taking Stock, Susan HayesCulleton speaks to Reuters reporter Ann Saphir about what’s going on at Jackson Hole and why the annual event is so important for global economics. With Electric Picnic coming into focus, Susan lifts the hood on the economics of music festivals with Conor Hughes, Business Director at Core Research.Plus, as 'The Economist' bluntly claims, Ireland is not rich. Susan gets the perspective of Kate English, Chief Economist with Deloitte Ireland & economist Jim Power.

This week on Taking Stock with Susan HayesCulleton: - Across Europe, defence spending is surging to levels not seen in decades. Declan Power, Security and Defence Analyst, joins Susan to discuss where defence spending goes, what it is preventing, and explore what the economic and policy implications may be for the bloc in the coming years. - We hear from Miri Rodriguez, the co-author of The Women of Microsoft: Stories of Innovation, a collection of voices from across the company that shine a light on resilience, creativity, and the ongoing challenges women face in tech. - Plus, as the Premier League kicks off, we’ll be diving into the macro and micro economics of one of the world’s biggest sporting juggernauts with James Reade, Professor in the Department of Economics at the University of Reading.

This week on Taking Stock with Susan HayesCulleton: - Following the publication of Revenue’s Taxation of Income from Social Media and Promotional Activities guidelines, Susan is joined by Mairead O’Driscoll, professional tax advisor, aka The Tax Nerd & Mark Corcoran, Marketing Manager at Taxback, to find out what it all means for content creators in Ireland. - We’ll be finding out how your brain and body hold the keys to leading smarter, not harder with Dr. Scott Hutcheson, author of Biohacking Leadership: Leveraging the Biology of Behavior to Maximize Your Impact. - Plus, we find out why online daters are swiping left on the whole idea of dating apps like Tinder & Bumble with Dr. Kathryn Coduto, Assistant Professor of Media Science at Boston University.