Image source, Getty Images

Lidl will raise the wages of its staff to well above the government’s national living wage from 1 October. That’s caught the other supermarkets by surprise and analyst Richard Perks of Mintel says Lidl has "upstaged" some of its larger rivals to some extent. “The other supermarkets are going to have to adjust because everyone will have to pay it in due course, but Lidl is one of those companies that is doing very well so perhaps can afford to pay it," he tells Today. But it is somewhat hard to tell “because Lidl is very sensitive about its finances”, Mr Perks adds.

Today Programme
BBC Radio 4

Business reporter Joe Lynam tweets:

Image source, Getty Images

The BBC's economics editor Robert Peston is in Shanghai, where he says many people are concerned that a significant economic slowdown is in train.

Read more from Robert here.

Image source, Getty Images

Well that's a relief. The Competition and Markets Authority has given the nod to Poundland's takeover of 99p Stores on the grounds that it won't reduce "choice, value or quality of service" for customers. This confirms the CMA's provisional findings, external published in August. The watchdog says that the merged business will still face competition from "retailers such as B&M, Home Bargains, Wilko and Bargain Buys, along with Tesco and to an extent Asda". Poundland shares have proved as less of a bargain, though - the stock is down 15% since its March 2014 float. 

Today Programme
BBC Radio 4

Image source, Fidor Bank

It might sound odd, but Fidor Bank, external, founded in Germany in 2009, looks to its customers for advice. The online bank launches in the UK today and says part of its appeal is the open conversations it has with its customers. Chief executive Matthias Kröner tells Today the bank treats customers as co-managers of the business. That can mean them telling the bank how to do its job better. And it can even include issues such as pricing. Does that mean customers demand higher rates of interest and smaller charges? “Customers very responsibly discuss pricing," Mr Kröner says. “Once you get a customer who says they want 20% for their savings, other customers will tell them that’s not possible unless the bank is making the interest rate elsewhere within the business."

BBC Radio 5 Live

Missed Wake Up to Money? Catch up with Adam and Mickey here.

Today Programme
BBC Radio 4

Image source, Reuters

Andrew Wilson of Goldman Sachs says he was not surprised by the Fed choosing to stick rather than twist on interest rates. “We’ve seen market volatility and the appreciation of the dollar has dampened US economic growth and is also a downward pressure on inflation, " he tells Today. Although there has been steady improvement in the labour market, wage rises have been remarkably subdued, Mr Wilson adds. China undoubtedly had a "material impact" on the decision, combined with steady rather than really strong US growth, he says. Markets regard a rate rise before the end of the year as a 50/50 chance, Mr Wilson adds. It’s telling that the “terminal rate”  - where the Fed thinks interest rates will eventually settle – was lowered yesterday to 3.5%.

Business presenter Ben Thompson tweets:

BBC Radio 5 Live

Image source, Getty Images

Richard Perks, Mintel's retail analyst, has been on Wake Up to Money to talk about Lidl, which plans to pay its staff higher wages. It also plans to more than double the number of UK stores to about 1,500. He thinks that move is realistic given that the German chain is increasingly competing in the convenience sector as well as with the bigger supermarkets. Does Lidl have the financial capacity for such an expansion? Difficult to say, Mr Perks says, given it is “about the most secretive company I know”. 

Speaking of Today, Joe Lynam is in the business hot seat today:

Want to know what's coming up on the Today programme? Your wish is our command:

BBC Radio 5 Live

On the subject of the FTSE 100, James Bevan of CCLA Investment Management tells Wake Up to Money he doesn't think the London market will move much in the wake of the Fed's decision. Investors are looking for more evidence about whether companies can make higher profits – and until that comes markets will remain “noisy”, he says.