Show Notes
In this episode of Trading Up, host Jim Fitzpatrick and economist Professor Richard Ramsey unpack Northern Ireland's dramatic economic split.
While the private sector outperforms the rest of the UK with strong 1% quarterly growth - driven by booming manufacturing, tech, and financial services - the public sector is severely squeezed by tightening budgets.
The hosts analyse Westminster's £1.5 billion funding offer to Stormont, potential welfare reform incentives, and the Fiscal Council’s critical findings on high public sector pay and staffing levels.
They also tackle real-world pressures facing local consumers and businesses, including record diesel prices approaching £2 per litre, global supply chain risks, and the rapid transition to electric vehicles.
Finally, they explore global bond market volatility, 30-year gilt yields, and how rising interest rates directly impact local mortgages and public spending. Essential listening for anyone seeking key insights into Northern Ireland’s economic trajectory, fiscal policy, and business outlook. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
More from Trading Up
In this episode of Trading Up Unpacked, host Jim Fitzpatrick and Professor Richard Ramsey analsye how economic realities are overriding culture wars to reshape global political agendas.
In this episode of Trading Up, host Jim Fitzpatrick sits down with tech entrepreneur Alastair Cameron to explore the raw realities of founder resilience, personal crisis, and starting over.
Every successful economy is built on the foundations of a good education system. So what happens when education standards begin to fall and what can Northern Ireland learn from what works elsewhere?
In this latest episode of Trading Up, host Jim Fitzpatrick explores why traditional top-down central control holds scaling businesses back. Featuring business leaders across tech, retail, and travel, the episode reveals how delegating real authority to local teams drives performance and innovation.
In this episode of Trading Up, hosts Jim Fitzpatrick and Richard Ramsey tackle a sobering trifecta of global economic challenges. First, escalating Middle East conflicts and drone strikes on vital maritime choke points - such as the Bab-el-Mandeb strait - have disrupted major crude pipelines, pushing oil prices above $107 a barrel. Rising fuel, gas, and home heating costs threaten to reignite inflation and trigger central bank interest rate hikes.