Sterling fell to its lowest level against the euro for almost three years as the Bank of England restarted its stimulus programme, leaving the UK currency as the year’s worst performer once again.

There’s no respite for sterling.

One of the world’s largest global custody banks has been fined a record £126m (€175.6m) by the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority for failing to adequately protect their clients assets.

Argentina yesterday called on Washington to intervene in a court case over the country’s defaulted debt after a US district judge threatened the South American country with contempt for making what he called false statements.

Argentina’s failure to pay interest on its bonds is a credit event that will trigger settlement of $1bn of default insurance, according to the International Swaps & Derivatives Association.

Argentina’s government is to make another effort to reach a deal with US. creditors before a looming deadline that risks sending the country into its second default in 13 years.

An Irish property investment company has secured a €90.7m deal to buy adjoining office buildings in the heart of Dublin’s financial district.

In the three weeks running up to Antrim’s Ulster opener against Monaghan last year, James Loughrey’s behaviour at training each evening bemused his team-mates.

President Michael D Higgins adjusted the green, white, and orange ribbons on the wreath and bowed his head.

US bank State Street said first-quarter profit fell 6.6% as expenses rose more than twice as fast as revenue.

Banks are looking to break into the last bastion of Europe’s securities market, the settling of trades, to meet growing pressure from regulators for safer trading backed with collateral.

US companies were behind almost 40% of offices bought or leased in Dublin in 2011 and the trend is likely to accelerate this year, according to estate agents.

Stocks have rebounded as investors breathed a sigh of relief at the news that the US added more jobs than expected during July, putting a halt to one of the worst sell-offs since the height of the 2008 financial crisis.

Gripped by fear of a new recession, the US stock market suffered its worst day since the financial crisis in the fall of 2008.

FORMER finance minister Charlie McCreevy has been appointed to the board of online spread betting and share trading firm, Worldspreads as a non-executive director.

GERRY WYCHERLEY is a director of Templeford Ltd and the Marina Commercial Park.

European stock markets have fallen, led by concerns over debt-ridden Greece and Portugal and whether their governments will be able to push through unpopular austerity programs to tame their ballooning deficits.

IBM has given Wall Street a reprieve from bad news and investors have responded by giving stocks a big rebound from their Inauguration Day plunge.

World stock markets slumped again today with Japan’s Nikkei index closing at its lowest in 26 years.