Last week’s CSO data on the Irish labour market for the third quarter of the year was stronger than expected.

Political risk has come to the fore in recent times, creating a lot of volatility and uncertainty in financial markets.

It was not just the pre-game tribute to Anthony Foley that inspired Ireland to victory over the All Blacks.

There are some signs that bond markets are beginning to sense that the free ride from central bankers is coming to an end, with a noticeable upward move in yields of late.

Growing signs that the UK could be heading for a ‘hard’ Brexit, which would see it lose access to the Single Market, triggered a fresh wave of sterling selling in the past couple of weeks.

Various indicators on the level of house building activity show that new supply is moving higher but from a very low base.