Investors in the Irish stock market should favour Irish firms that have less exposure to the UK — until the outcome of the British referendum on membership of the EU is known, Merrion Capital has said in a major report.

Financial services group IFG has said it is well-positioned to build on a strong year which saw group revenues beat market expectations.

The Irish Auditing and Accounting Supervisory Authority (IAASA) has ruled on five listed companies, including Irish Residential Properties, UDG Healthcare, Paddy Power, IFG, and Dragon Oil.

One51 — the investment firm which is owned by, among others, 50 agricultural co-ops around the country — has received an approach from private equity fund CapVest of €1.80 per share, it has been confirmed.

Financial services company IFG is to continue to reduce its involvement in the Irish insurance market as it focuses more so on its UK operations.

Financial services group, IFG anticipates “meaningful growth” in group profitability in 2015 and has said it will adopt “a more progressive” approach to dividend payments to shareholders.

Financial services group, IFG has said it has no immediate plans to de-list its shares from the Irish Stock Exchange, nor move from its Dublin headquarters, despite shifting its entire operating focus towards Britain.

Financial services group IFG has announced the sale of its Irish operations, but intends to keep its primary share listing in Dublin and remain headquartered in Booterstown.

IFG Ireland is on course to return to profitability over the course of this year with both operating results and revenue improving over the past 12 months, according to the company’s interim management statement.

An improved performance by its Irish operations helped boost total group revenue at IFG by 4.6% last year, with pre-tax profits rising by over 3%.

Working mothers earning the average industrial wage who take just five years off to look after their family could lose up to a fifth of their pension pot or up to €70,000, a pensions expert has warned.

Shares in specialist financial services company IFG slipped by nearly 10% yesterday after management moved to cool rising expectations that the company may be about to be acquired.

Financial services group IFG has significantly enhanced its presence in the specialist pensions sector in Britain, with its subsidiary becoming the fifth largest provider of such products.

A universal pension could be funded by reducing pensions tax breaks that mostly benefit the richest 20% of earners, according to Social Justice Ireland.

Strong new business momentum helped drive profit and revenue growth at pensions provider IFG during the first half of this year.

A major player in the pensions industry has called on employers to close off defined benefit pension schemes and move their staff into defined contribution (DC) schemes instead.

Financial services group IFG is likely to play an active role in an expected wave of consolidation within the financial advisory and pensions administration sectors, in the next couple of years.

A pensions expert has said it would be “grossly unfair” on members of defined contribution schemes if the Government were to impose a another pension levy on all schemes to fund the insolvent ones.

A call to end the “apartheid” which gives defined benefits pension holders a potential €64,000 a year advantage over those in defined contribution schemes, has been made by IFG Corporate Pensions.

Financial services company IFG will buy up to £30m (€37.3m) of its own shares later this month, it confirmed yesterday.

The pensions, investment, and advisory group IFG saw an operating profit of £3.3m (€4.12m) for the first six months of the year, down from a £4.9m operating profit for the same period in 2011.

As the Government introduces legislation with one hand to force pension schemes to meet certain solvency levels, it has withdrawn over €800m from Irish pension funds with the other hand.

Joe Moran is to step down as chairman of financial services group IFG later this year, having held the role since the formation of the business in 1989.

The pensions landscape is going to be dramatically changed and private sector workers are going to have to either work longer or pay more into their pension schemes.

Shares in Irish financial services group IFG jumped by over 5% yesterday on the back of strong profit growth for 2011 and reaching agreement to sell its overseas division for €84m.

Shares in financial services group IFG rose by 12% yesterday, on the back of it announcing that it has received an expression of interest in its international corporate trustee services division.

IRELAND’s ISEQ index finished the year’s last trading session with a near 2% rise — its second consecutive daily increase — closing at just over 2,900 points.

EUROPE’s principal stock markets put Wednesday’s disappointing performances behind them with a broad recovery yesterday.

PRIVATE sector pension provision is under “severe threat” as nine out of 10 companies say they are altering their pension investment strategy.

THE ISEQ’s good week continued yesterday with it rising for a third day out of four, gaining another 2.8%.

INTERNATIONAL stock markets enjoyed a rare consecutive day’s rise yesterday as optimism surrounding positive solutions to the eurozone debt crisis being found gathered momentum.

EUROPEAN stockmarkets including Ireland’s ISEQ index recovered yesterday, but fears of a Greek exit from the eurozone or debt default marginalised any gains.

IFG, a Dublin-based financial services group, fell the most in more than eight years after it said talks on a takeover bid with Bregal Capital concluded without a bid.

MORE than a third of people surveyed said they don’t have a pension, while one in five cannot meet all of their monthly financial commitments.

ALMOST half of people between the ages of 35 and 54 have not started planning for retirement.

FIORDLAND, the biggest shareholder at financial services group IFG, will make a significant profit on its initial investment should a €231 million takeover prove successful.

FINANCIAL services group IFG is set to update the market on the potential takeover battle for the business next week.

FINANCIAL services firm IFG has signed a “partnership agreement” with Cork-based Quintas Wealth Management that will lead to the creation of up to 10 jobs.

THE takeover saga at IFG is likely to be largely concluded by early August, the financial services group’s management said yesterday.

Dublin: IFG Group is moving at a slower pace “than we would have expected” in reviewing takeover approaches, according to Edmund Truell, the main investor in Fiordland Investment, one of two potential bidders for the company.

POLITICIANS cannot resist expediency. Urgent takes precedence over important. Years of demographic analysis, a Green Paper in 2007 and the launch of the National Pension Framework in March of last year set out our looming dilemma of unfunded pension obligations. By 2050 the ratio of workers to retirees will be 1.8: 1. Currently that ratio is 5.6: 1.

FINANCIAL services group IFG has said that its UK operations — which accounted for 57% of group profits last year — have enjoyed a good start to 2011, without giving any specific growth figures.

FINANCE Minister Michael Noonan, who is suffering a public backlash after imposing the controversial private pensions levy, will be able to pick up a pension of just under €2,000 every single week within two years.

THE ISEQ dipped again yesterday, closing down 35.73 points at 2,940.56, as investors took profit from last week’s strong markets and there was a decrease in interest for riskier stocks.