I have believed for a long time a State-owned bank that supports small firms and start-ups is essential

The past week in Ireland was dominated by two events: The pressure from the Government on retailers to cut grocery prices and the announcement of the creation of a sovereign wealth fund to deal with projected budget surpluses.

There will always be the temptation to waste money — that is always a risk when the coffers are overflowing

As Warren Buffett once said, it is only when the tide goes out that you learn who has been swimming naked

'It seems certain that the global tech sector will experience a decline in profits over the coming year. This is likely to undermine corporation tax paid in Ireland but could also have implications for employment in the sector.'

Housing is not just a social issue but also an economic one

Despite the very negative global economic, financial and political headwinds, the Irish economy performed very strongly

It's not all gloomy but some sectors face a slide in discretionary spending. Against this background, the Government should postpone hiking Vat on hospitality back up to 13.5%

Layoffs at Twitter and Stripe, and poor results at Facebook and Amazon, bring a new uncertainty about the tech sector

Here in Ireland, we can afford to look across the Irish sea with some amusement, but we shouldn’t get carried away.