Tariffs and trade wars dominated 2025, but what does the year ahead have in store? And what about the prospect for rising prices we’ve seen around the world?

The BBC’s Deputy Economics Editor, Dharshini David, and North America Business Correspondent, Michelle Fleury, pick through what we learned last year and explore the trends likely to shape the global economy in 2026.

If you would like to get in touch with the programme, please email: [email protected]

Presenter: Will Bain Producer: Matt Lines

(Picture: Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, French President Emmanuel Macron, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, US President Donald Trump, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz at the G7 summit in Kananaskis on June 16, 2025. Credit: AFP via Getty Images)

Doorstep delivery services boomed during the Covid-19 pandemic and they're still popular in many parts of the world: ordering hot meals, or groceries, via a mobile app to your door at the click of a button.

For the customer, it's a fast and convenient service. For the rider, it's flexible work, but there's no guaranteed income, the work is physical and the hours are often antisocial - especially during major holidays like Christmas and New Year. Why, then, do so many people do it?

We speak to riders in the US and UK about their experiences delivering food, drinks and other essentials to customers at all hours of the day.

If you'd like to get in touch with the programme, you can send us an email to [email protected]

Presenter: David Harper Producer: Victoria Hastings

(Picture: A delivery rider on a scooter, travelling through a city at night. Credit: Getty Images)

With 250 years of brewing history behind his family, Arthur Edward Guinness was discouraged from taking on the responsibility that the men of his family had for centuries.

Now Ned, or Lord Iveagh, grows crops, brews beer and is in pursuit of being able to pour the perfect pint in one of the two pubs he owns in the rural east of England.

He tells Leanna Byrne about the extraordinary family history he sees as his legacy, and talks about how the famous brewery at St James's Gate in Dublin, Ireland became one of the most successful in the world.

Presenter: Leanna Byrne Producer: Hannah Bewley

(Image: Ned Guinness, 4th Earl of Iveagh, attends the "House Of Guinness" London Premiere at Picturehouse Central on 23 September 2025 in London, England. Credit: Getty Images)

We're in Santa’s grotto – sort of - a Chinese city that some call the Christmas capital of the world.

With 75,000 traders, across 50,000 stores, Yiwu offers the world’s largest wholesale market across a labyrinth of arcades.

But at a time of growing trade tensions with the US, who’s actually buying the tinsel this year?

If you'd like to send us an email, our address is [email protected]

Presenter: Ed Butler Producer: David Cann Additional production: Victoriya Holland

(Picture: Crowds of people walking through Yiwu wholesale market. Credit: BBC/Wang Xiqing)

We look at what makes a great Christmas marketing campaign. From a budget-friendly advert based around coffee cups, to multi-million dollar epic commercials featuring Hollywood A-list celebrities.

We unwrap the secrets behind the world's most iconic festive advertising.

If you'd like to get in touch with the programme, our email address is [email protected]

Presented and produced by Elizabeth Hotson

(Picture: A woman and a man wearing Santa hats, sitting in front of a TV with Christmas tree, candles and food. Credit: Getty Images)

Festive spending habits are changing, with many, especially younger shoppers, predicted to cut back.

We look at what’s driving the shift, the impact on retail, and how artificial intelligence is starting to shape the way shoppers choose gifts and search for lower prices.

Plus - we hear from members of the World Service audience on what their holiday spending priorities are.

You can get in touch with the programme - our email address is [email protected]

Presenter: Megan Lawton Producer: Sam Gruet

(Picture: Nelmar Cornes, a stationary enthusiast and the owner of the Toronto Pen Shoppe in Toronto, Canada.)

As millions of households around the world put up their Christmas trees, we hear from the founder and CEO of US-based company Balsam Hill - one of the world’s biggest artificial Christmas tree retailers.

Mac Harman tells us about his journey as an entrepreneur, how he's addressing sustainability concerns, and how the company's managing the pressures of tariffs.

If you'd like to contact the programme, our email address is [email protected]

Presenter: Ed Butler Producer: David Cann

Correction, 22 December 2025: This episode, which first aired on 19 December, has been amended to include more detail and to clarify the sourcing of the materials used in the manufacture of Balsam Hill's trees.

(Picture: Mac Harman. Credit: Balsam Hill)

You might be familiar with the term "ghosting" when it comes to dating. One minute you’re talking to someone, the next they disappear.

The same thing is now happening in the job market, with employers not responding to candidates or posting roles that never existed.

It’s a problem thought to affect millions.

In this programme, we hear why "ghost jobs" have become so common, look at the new rules meant to curb the practice, and hear directly from job seekers about how it makes them feel.

You can email us - our address is [email protected]

Presenter: Megan Lawton Producer: Sam Gruet

(Picture: Woman applying for a job online. Credit: Getty Images)

We return to Peru’s mega port - the Chancay Port. This $3.5bn project is a joint venture between China’s state-owned shipping company Cosco Shipping and Peruvian mining company Volcan. It’s already starting to have an impact on local businesses.

We find out what’s giving it the edge, how local fruit producers are particularly benefiting, and what obstacles still need to be overcome, both politically and logistically.

If you'd like to get in touch with the programme, our email address is [email protected]

Presented and produced by Jane Chambers

(Picture: Fruit producer, Percy Perez, in Peru.)

It’s transforming the world of road haulage, but has the recent ‘Uberisation’ been good news for truckers?

From Nanjing to Nairobi, we discover how digital freight matching platforms are changing the way drivers access work, plan routes and the impact it’s having on the climate. But with driverless trucks on the horizon, what does the future hold for truckers and trucking firms?

If you'd like to get in touch with the programme, our email address is [email protected]

Presenter: Sam Gruet Producer: Megan Lawton

(Picture: A white 18 wheeler truck on the road. Credit: Getty Images)

Pakistan closed its border with Afghanistan in October following sporadic fighting between the two countries.

Since then, the movement of goods has stopped, and lines of trucks have been waiting to cross.

We look at the impact of this key trade route being shut and what it means for livelihoods and businesses on both sides of the border.

If you'd like to get in touch with the programme, our email address is [email protected]

Presenter: Will Bain Producer: Hannah Mullane

(Picture: Lorries and a group of people congregating at the border of Pakistan and Afghanistan. Credit: BBC)

We meet the real estate developer who’s been tasked with turning Saudi Arabia into a global tourism hub.

It is part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s vision for the Kingdom, diversifying the economy away from oil.

Red Sea Global CEO John Pagano has managed massive development projects including London's Canary Wharf, a luxury holiday resort in the Bahamas, and now, a tourism mega project on Saudi Arabia's Red Sea Coast. We hear about his career to date and why he likes an ambitious project. This is his biggest yet - can he pull it off?

Presenter: Leanna Byrne Producer: Elisabeth Mahy Additional production: Niamh McDermott

(Photo: John Pagano, CEO of Red Sea Global. Credit: Red Sea Global)