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Competition from China, weaker sales and a slower-than-expected shift to electric vehicles have left Volkswagen facing its biggest challenge in decades. VW says up to 100,000 jobs could go, with some of its biggest German plants facing closure. Rahul Tandon, Michelle Fleury and Will Bain look at whether VW can turn things around, and whether its troubles reflect wider problems in Germany's economy. Producer: Matt Lines You can email the team: [email protected] (Picture: Volkswagen's main German plant in Wolfsburg, Germany, September 17, 2026. Credit: REUTERS/Liesa Johannssen)

Greek-born billionaire John Catsimatidis rose from working in a New York grocery store to build the Gristedes supermarket chain and a wider business empire after leaving university before graduating. Now head of the Red Apple Group, with interests spanning real estate, energy, aviation and media, he remains a prominent figure in US business and politics, regularly discussing business with President Trump, despite setbacks including a collapsed airline venture and an unsuccessful run for New York mayor. Presenter: Leanna Byrne Producer: Amber Mehmood You can email the team: [email protected] [This episode was first broadcast on 17 June 2026] (Picture: John Catsimatidis attends the Economic Club of New York in New York City, U.S., May 28, 2026. Credit: REUTERS/Jeenah Moon)

The war in the Middle East has pushed up crude oil prices this year and that's had a knock-on effect on the price of refined oil products like diesel. But after months of conflict, the Gulf's oil-producing nations are now getting most of their exports out, so why hasn't the price of diesel come down? And will it fall now that Donald Trump has reached a deal allowing Russia to export diesel again? The BBC's Sam Fenwick traces the journey of a barrel of oil from the Middle East to the petrol pump, looking at the rising costs along the way. (Photo: A worker fills a lorry with diesel in London on 2 October 2026. Credit: Yui Mok/PA) You can email the team: [email protected] Producer: Gideon Long

Birth rates are falling across much of the world, raising questions about how economies will cope as populations age rapidly. Rob Young examines why people are having fewer children, from the financial pressures facing couples in the US to changing social attitudes. He also looks at government efforts to reverse the trend, including Finland's generous family support system and Hungary's costly incentives for larger families. Presenter/producer: Rob Young You can email the team: [email protected] (Picture: A newly born baby in a maternity ward at the Royal Gloucestershire Hospital in the UK. Credit: BBC)

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 demand electoral reforms and the resignation of the chief election commissioner following allegations surrounding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists. CJP protest demanding resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, New Delhi, India - 10 Oct 2026

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) Presenter: Rahul Tandon Producer: Matt Lines

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, and chocolate makers explain how the volatile market is impacting them. (Photo: A large machine mixing molten chocolate. Credit: Olivia Richwald) Presenter: Hannah Mullane Producer: Gideon Long

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 you'd like to get in touch with the programme, our email address is [email protected] Presenter: Rob Young Producer: Gideon Long [This episode was first broadcast on 12 Jan 2026] (Photo: A bond issued in 1648 by a Dutch water board to finance improvements to a local dike system. The bond, written on vellum, is held at Yale University Beinecke Library and is believed to be one of the oldest in the world that still pays interest. Credit: Yale University)

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 of diesel amid the war in Iran. (Photo: Demonstrators protest demanding political action to stop evictions and address the housing crisis, following the eviction of an 87-year-old woman from her home, in Madrid, Spain, 30 September, 2026. Credit: Violeta Santos Moura/Reuters) Presenter: Rahul Tandon Producer: Josh Martin

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: [email protected] (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 Lamarque)

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 the design process. Presented by Leanna Byrne. Produced by Victoriya Holland and Huma Shah.

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 during the world’s largest beer festival Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany, September 26, 2026. Credit: Reuters)

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: [email protected] (Photo: A sign celebrating 100 years of Route 66: Credit: Victoria Craig)