Business Daily

Kimchi, the tangy fermented vegetable dish, is now being made and sold around the world. South Korea’s kimchi export value has risen dramatically in the past few years, going far beyond Asia. And it's consumed by not only overseas Koreans but by the locals too. While kimchi remains a distinctly Korean dish, in recent years, those with little to no connection to the country have been producing and...

When is a diamond really a diamond? When it’s been formed miles underground a billion years ago, or when has it been created in a laboratory, under temperatures close to the heat of the sun? The answer is – both are true. They look and behave exactly the same, but they are very different in price. The lab-grown diamonds are marketed as kinder to the environment, and they are far cheaper - and that...

A few years ago you could have assumed all diamonds had been dug out of the ground – but now it’s true that some of them have been created, at unbelievably high temperatures, in just a matter of weeks. In the first of two Business Daily programmes about the evolving diamond market, Lesley Curwen heads to the glamorous jewellery district of Hatton Garden in London – to see how the jewellery world i...

The South African former pro rider set up his cycling team in 2007. As MTN Qhubeka they became the first-ever African registered team to ride the Tour de France. He talks about the challenges of putting together a team from scratch - and the steep learning curve he faced moving from cycling to managing. After a successful stint on the world stage, a combination of financial and sponsorship problem...

There are two candidates: one is the current economy minister who has a wealth of experience in power; the other is a maverick libertarian economist who wants to ditch the country’s currency, the peso, and strip the central bank of its ability to print money. We speak to his senior economic advisor, and also to a wine producer from the western province of Mendoza, who tells us about the challenges...

We’re looking ahead to the meeting between Presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping in San Francisco – the first time the two leaders will have met in 12 months. Diplomatic ties between Washington and Beijing have deteriorated this year, with tensions rising over Taiwan and the South China Sea. Meanwhile, there’s been a tit-for-tat trade spat over semiconductors and raw materials. As the presidents mee...

Some owners are converting their vehicles into EVs. The idea is to boost the performance of these cars and make them ready for a green future. The process is not cheap - it requires specialists who can retain the vintage value of these cars while fitting them with a modern electric engine. Critics feel that such a transition takes away the emotional and engineering legacy of these vehicles. So we...

The Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 saw millions of Ukrainian women and children flee to safety; causing massive upheaval and hitting the economy hard. For the women who have stayed, their lives have been transformed; many have taken on new roles, like Tetiana, who is now working underground in a coal mine, and Evgeniya, who is now a sniper on the frontline. Others, like Alina Kacharo...

The Argentinian-American tech entrepreneur moved to the US in 1997 and carved out a career in the corporate world before breaking free and setting out on her own. In late 2020, the remote working company TransparentBusiness, which she co-founded 12 years earlier, achieved a $1bn valuation. Now she continues to push for gender and racial equality in the workplace, is an investor on the TV show Unic...

Fears are growing for the future of the country's bars - especially in rural areas. In less than 20 years almost a quarter of Irish pubs have closed, many of them businesses which have been run by the same family for generations. RRussell Padmore travels across the Emerald Isle to hear how the closure of pubs is a setback for rural communities, but also a worry for the country’s tourism industry....

There is a growing debate in the US about the caste system - an ancient social ranking system where the community you are born into determines what kind of job you do, who you marry, and much more. The caste system in India dates back over 3,000 years and divides Hindu society into different social strata. In many South Asian countries, it is outlawed. But members of the South Asian diaspora in th...

We travel to South America to meet the Chinese migrants who are making their way to the United States using an unexpected route - the established migrant trail through South and Central America to the southern border with Mexico. Citing economic challenges at home - and using inspiration from social media - a growing number are making this perilous trek. Reporter Shawn Yuan travels along the route...

The Saudi Pro League has attracted some of the top players from around the world - with transfer fees and salaries amounting to millions of dollars. We travel to Saudi Arabia to look at the country's ambitious plan to become a global football powerhouse - is it an economic move or simply sportswashing? With Saudi Arabia now it's looking set to be confirmed as the host of the World Cup in 2034, we...

The region of Bordeaux in the south-west of France is perhaps the most famous wine-producing area in the world. But it’s struggling. While the prestigious, most expensive wines – Saint-Émilions, Pomerols and Margaux are selling well, others are not. For the producers of the 850 million bottles of the region's famous red wine, it’s a difficult time due to a major decline in consumption. We look at...

Have you tried learning a language online? We explore the growth of language learning platforms with Babbel CEO Arne Schepker, and how the Covid pandemic lead to an increase in learning digitally. Mr Schepker explains how more international working and personal relationships has led to an increase in demand. And how smartphones and the internet have changed that age-old aspiration of gaining fluen...

Sam Bankman-Fried, the American crypto entrepreneur who went from billionaire to bankrupt, is on trial in New York for fraud. The 31-year-old who founded the cryptocurrency exchange FTX is accused of lying to investors and lenders. He has denied those charges, and instead says he was acting in good faith but made mistakes. He says he never set out to defraud anyone. In the coming days, 12 jurors w...

Trick or treat and other traditions are now at the centre of a global multi-billion business. The ancient Celtic and Pagan festival, which started thousands of years ago in Ireland, was taken by emigrants to North America, where it was turned into a major annual event. The National Retail Federation in the US tells Russell Padmore how spending by consumers is forecast to be a record of more than $...

Countries around the world are racing to achieve targets on the ban of new petrol and diesel cars - but they are hitting stumbling blocks, meaning some are pulling back on their commitments. Although global sales of electric cars are rising, some countries are struggling to persuade drivers to make the switch. Reasons given include insufficient or unsuitable charging points, and the price tag: cri...

After many months of news headlines about whether Elon Musk was going to buy Twitter, he eventually completed the purchase on 27 October 2022. Since then, the company’s been through some big changes; laying off most of its 8000 employees, a rebrand to ‘X’, and reinstating some previously banned accounts on the platform. Mr Musk describes himself a free speech absolutist and says he bought Twitter...

In 2015, Akinwumi Adesina was elected President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), and since then he's become a symbol of optimism across the continent. How did he become known as Africa's "optimist-in-chief"?In this edition of Business Daily, Dr Adesina tells Peter MacJob what has shaped him as an economist, his outlook for the continent and how Africa could determine the future of renewable...

Short selling has gone mainstream. Inspired by the noisy success of activist short sellers, amateur investors are now trying this highly risky strategy themselves. They’re aided by a slew of new trading apps making it possible to short a stock or currency in seconds. Peter Roscoe is a YouTube investing vlogger who’s experienced the highs and lows of short selling. We also hear from the UK boss of...

What’s it like to be on the wrong side of a big short? Former CEO Paul Pittman's company was shorted by an anonymous short seller who made false allegations in order to drive its share price down - way down. This is the story of how Paul and his firm overcame the short attack that cost them millions: and why it’s not just big companies that stand to lose money from rogue shorters on the markets. P...

Short selling – the trade where you hope a stock’s value will fall rather than rise. If it does, the trader can win. Big. That’s led to the growth of what’s called the activist short seller. A trader who comes out to tell the world why a company’s stock should be lower than it is. They’re betting on its failure. Carson Block from the firm Muddy Waters is one of the most prominent new short sellers...

Andre Schwammlein once wanted to be a pilot – but ended up behind the wheel of a bus and train company instead. The chief executive and co-founder of Flix – the driving force behind Flixbus and Flixtrain - says he was never much of a traveller, but now leads a company that has changed the way millions of people cross countries and continents. In just 10 years, Flixbus has gone from German startup...

The development of new sports stadiums and facilities can bring regeneration to deprived areas. They hold a special place in the hearts of sports and live music fans. But have some of the new ones lost their spark? In this edition of Business Daily, Sam Fenwick asks, what gives a stadium its atmosphere and can it be designed in? Sam speaks to Christopher Lee, whose architecture practice, Populous,...