Business Daily

Jerry Yue is the entrepreneur behind Brain Technologies. He believes artificial intelligence could replace many of the apps we use every day, changing how we interact with our phones and computers. Leanna Byrne talks to him about building technology businesses in China, his journey to Silicon Valley and why he thinks AI could reshape the future of computing.

Producer: Huma Shah

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

Gold is worth about twice what it was four years ago, so who profits when a Hindu family buys gold during the Diwali festive period? Sam Fenwick traces the gold supply chain from a mine that digs up 140 tonnes of rock for a single ounce of gold to a Delhi jeweller, examining the role of central banks and refiners along the way.

Producers: Josh Martin and Huma Shah.

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

(Picture: A jewellery shop in Bangalore, India, 13 October 2025. Credit: JAGADEESH NV/EPA/Shutterstock)

Why does artificial intelligence sometimes make things up? From law firms to consultants, businesses are grappling with the risks of AI hallucinations. What's causing them, and can they be prevented?

Presenter/producer: Ed Butler

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

Rahul Tandon and Will Bain are joined by BBC's Silicon Valley correspondent Lily Jamali to look at issues being faced by Google and if it's a sign of wider tech sector problems

Google and You Tube's parent company, Alphabet, saw its value fall by half a trillion dollars on Thursday after warning about spending on AI as its advertising revenue growth also cooled off.

It's not the only tech company to warn of problems in the latest round of results.

In this special edition of Business Daily, we ask is Google a victim of wider worries about AI spending, or is AI coming for the crown of the unquestioned king of search?.

This week on Taking Stock, Rahul Tandon is joined by Katrine Kielos, journalist for Swedish financial broadcaster EFN based in London and Dan Ives, tech analyst based in New York. We look at Anthropic’s reported plans for a mega-IPO that could value the AI company at close to two trillion dollars, what the US midterm elections could mean for the consumers in America and across the globe and if the seasonal favourite Pumpkin Spice has gone too far.

Meta is a social media giant. It's so big, a second Hollywood movie about the company was released just last month. More than three billion people access its biggest apps - Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram - every single day. And those apps make the company a ton of cash. In the last three months alone, they generated $64bn in revenue. Meta now appears to be focused on developing AI, particularly wearable technology. So despite its enormous social media success, will Meta be primarily an AI company in the future?

Presenters: Rahul Tandon, Michelle Fleury and Will Bain Producer: Guy Kilty

(Picture: Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg tries on Meta smart glasses during the Meta Connect event on September 23, 2026. Credit: REUTERS/Carlos Barria)

Burning cars, looted shops and clashes on the streets of France have dominated headlines around the world. The chief executive of Carrefour has warned that the unrest is taking a toll on business. But beyond the violence lie deeper questions about living standards and the state of the French economy. Vishala Sri-Pathma hears from protesters, businesses and the French government about what recent protests tell us about France's economy.

Producer: Rebecca Smyllie Editor: Stephen Ryan

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

(Picture: A masked protester holding an umbrella and a French flag reacts as French police use a water canon amid clashes during demonstrations against the cost of living and rising fuel prices in France, October 24, 2026. Credit: REUTERS/Hannah McKay)

After decades in which borrowing has been virtually free, Japan is raising interest rates, affecting savers and borrowers alike. We talk to a former rate-setter at the Bank of Japan, to a homeowner who is braced for the cost of her mortgage to rise, and to a saver who ponders whether now is the time to finally bring her investments back to Japan. And we explore who's making money from the rising cost of borrowing.

(Photo: A Japanese man cycles pass by a stock market indicator board in Tokyo, Japan, 15 October 2026. He has short black hair, going grey at the sides and wears black trousers and a black T-shirt. Credit: EPA)

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

Presenter: Sam Fenwick Producer: Gideon Long

China's booming export figures, driven in part by demand for AI-related products, suggest a high-tech economy that's thriving. Yet many consumers at home continue to face economic pressures. Ed Butler asks whether there's a link between weakness at home and strength abroad, and what China's export surge could mean for other countries and trading partners.

Presenter/producer: Ed Butler

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

(Picture: Security guards walk past containers at a port in Shanghai, China. Credit: REUTERS/Aly Song)

Will Bain is joined by Toronto-based tech journalist Takara Small and Zambia-based consultant Trevor Simumba to examine the impact of protests in France on businesses and the wider economy, what Netflix's latest data and job-cut plans signal about the streaming giant's future, and what a referendum in Alberta, Canada, highlights about the province's future.

Producer: Rebecca Smyllie

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

(Picture: A protester throws a projectile through tear gas amid clashes with the French riot police at the Place de la Republique during a demonstration against the cost of living and rising fuel prices in Paris as part of nationwide protests in France, October 17, 2026. Credit: REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq)

Netflix transformed the entertainment industry, changing how audiences around the world discover and consume media. But after announcing plans to cut 1,000 jobs and losing its content and film chiefs, questions are growing about the streaming giant's future. Has Netflix reached a turning point, or does it still have room to grow? Will Bain and Rahul Tandon are joined by Simon Gallagher, a former Netflix head of content and acquisition who worked with co-founder Reed Hastings and later at Hulu.

Producer: Matt Lines

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

Tessa Clarke is the co-founder and CEO of Olio, the food-sharing app helping millions of people reduce waste by sharing food and household items with their neighbours. She explains how a simple idea grew into a global movement, the challenges of convincing investors to back it, and why changing human behaviour may be key to tackling climate change.

Presenter: Leanna Byrne Producer: Barbara George

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

(Picture: Tessa Clarke. Credit:Annabel Staff)

Some economies are increasingly dependent on migrants sending money home to their families. But how much does it cost, and who's making money from a business worth around $900 billion a year? Sam Fenwick follows a transfer from a housekeeper in London to her family in the Philippines, tracking the money every step of the way. We talk to one of the world's biggest transfer companies about the fees involved, and to a remittances expert who argues that while costs have fallen, they still need to come down further.

Producer: Gideon Long

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

(Picture: A delivery worker in Manila, Philippines. Prices have been rising in the country this year, which receives remittances from many of its citizens living abroad. Credit: ROLEX DELA PENA/EPA/Shutterstock)

China's latest trade data show another huge surplus, putting the country on course for what could be a record $1.5 trillion trade surplus this year. In the first of two episodes examining China's export machine, we look at the country's massive solar panel industry. We hear from the so-called Sun King, Dr Jerry Shi, China's first solar billionaire, about the rise of solar power in China. Ed Butler also examines how solar power and other green technologies have helped drive the global response to climate change, while critics raise concerns about oversupply and its impact on industries and economies around the world.

Presenter/producer: Ed Butler

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

From Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, to China and India, companies and countries are pouring billions of dollars to get ahead in the space industry.

It's not just about interplanetary exploration, huge investment is going into satellites, defense systems and location technology.

Rahul Tandon speaks to Carissa Bryce Christensen, Founder and CEO of BryceTech and Professor of Space Security, Dr Namrata Goswami to discuss who winning the race and who might be coming up from behind.

Producers: Amber Mehmood and Matt Lines Editor: Stephen Ryan

PHOTO: The planet Mars is shown in this NASA Hubble Space Telescope view taken May 12, 2016. NASA/Handout via Reuters

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.

(Photo: Volkswagen's main German plant in Wolfsburg, Germany, 17 September, 2026. Credit: Liesa Johannssen/Reuters)

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

Producer: Matt Lines

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: businessdaily@bbc.co.uk

[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: businessdaily@bbc.co.uk

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: businessdaily@bbc.co.uk

(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