The strong US jobs report is out and raising questions about further interest rate cuts.

A quarter of a million jobs were added to the market in December, causing the unemployment rate to drop to 4.1%.

As employment rose stock prices fell as a result of such strong labour market data.

Economist Brad Olsen joins the show to discuss how this will affect New Zealand, the Prime Ministers trip to the UAE and oil prices rising 3% over the weekend.

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Several Greens members have been caught asking to use the private carparks belonging to Wellington retailers for a party event.

These retailers were impacted by Green-led cycleway project, which took away on-street parking in the area.

Independent Business and Residential Group chairwoman Urmila Bhana says this cycleway has negatively impacted several businesses.

"Businesses are down 60, 80, 100 percent, they're either moving, closing, or heading into liquidation. And that's nothing to do with the recession, it's the carpark removal."

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One transport planner is looking into the feasibility of a fixed link between New Zealand's two islands.

KiwiRail are officially cancelling an overseas contract for building more mega-ferries, after the Government declined to foot the bill.

Nicolas Reid, the Principal Public Transport Planner for MRCagney, says there are other options available to cross the Cook Strait.

"There's options around the existing ferries and expanding those ferries, and also moving to a fixed link such as a bridge or a tunnel."

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Over in the US, share prices have slumped after the US Federal Reserve hinted at a slower than expected pace for rate cuts in the new year.

The Federal Reserve set its key lending rate in a target range of 4.25 percent to 4.5 percent - down a full percentage point since September.

Fisher Funds expert Sam Dickie explains further.

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The Country's Jamie Mackay has been catching up with politicians and farming experts to discuss their picks for Ag Person of the Year.

There's been a diverse range of favourites - but who is Jamie's?

He revealed his favourites for 2024, ahead of his final show for the year.

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This was a dire week for the economy - but experts say things can only go up from here.

Stats NZ revealed that GDP was down 1 percent in the September quarter, and had been down 1.1 percent the previous quarter.

This is the biggest drop since 1991, excluding the Covid-19 lockdowns.

Despite the gloomy outlook, NZ Herald business editor at large Liam Dann says this will likely be as bad as things get before things pick up.

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Mastercard is pushing back against the Commerce Commission's plan to put a cap on credit card fees.

The Commission says regulation for credit and contactless payments could deliver $280 million in savings a year for merchants and consumers.

But Mastercard New Zealand says the draft decision is disappointing, will undermine competition, and set back the local economy.

Mastercard NZ Country Manager Ruth Riviere says these suggestions by the Commerce Commission will bring down interest in investing in New Zealand.

"We're really clear that there's these unintended consequences of what's being proposed."

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People will have questions, after one of the country's worst quarterly GDP dips in decades.

Stats NZ figures show New Zealand's gross domestic product crashed down one percent in the September quarter.

It's put the country in the deepest recession since the Covid-driven slump in 2020.

Former Finance Minister Steven Joyce says the Reserve Bank Governor, Adrian Orr, needs to speak up and explain.

"I think there is some legitimate questions to be asked - I can remember, quite recently, him saying he's got it all under control and that this is going to be a soft landing. Well, quite clearly, it wasn't."

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