The world outlook: ‘Uneven and unspectacular’  

The past year has been full of unpleasant surprises, most notably Britain’s decision in its June 23 referendum to leave the EU.

This will have serious ramifications for Ireland going forward as will the election, on November 8, of real estate mogul and reality TV star Donald Trump as the 45th president of the US — especially if he delivers on his promises to impose tariffs on trade and to cut the country’s corporation tax rate to 15%.

However, it is Brexit that poses the biggest threat, although so far the impact on the Irish economy has been negligible.