Irish firms require improved training to boost productivity in key industries, according to the latest scorecard from the National Competitiveness Council.

Output in Britain's manufacturing sector reached its highest level for more than two years as the industry continued to bounce back from a post-Brexit vote slump.

Eurozone business activity expanded at its weakest rate since the start of 2015 this month, as growth paths diverged but firms stopped cutting prices for the first time in a year, surveys showed yesterday.

UK construction shrank the most since the financial crisis in July, with companies citing uncertainty related to Brexit for the continued weakness.

Sterling was little changed at 83.93 pence against the euro, but dropped to $1.3323 against the dollar as the Bank of England prepared to announce its interest-rate decision today.

London’s top flight index tumbled below 6,700 yesterday as investors baulked at a bleak economic update from the UK manufacturing industry.

The Bank of England wrong-footed investors by keeping interest rates on hold, but held out the prospect of a stimulus package soon to help the economy cope with Britain’s decision to leave the EU.

The London market was dragged into the red after a gloomy economic update from Britain’s construction industry dealt a punishing blow to housebuilders.

British manufacturing activity barely grew last month, adding to signs that the UK economy is slowing in the run-up to the country’s referendum on EU membership, fresh data showed yesterday.

Growth in the eurozone’s private sector unexpectedly slowed in May, while growth in Germany continued to accelerate.

UK companies are feeling the strain from the upcoming EU referendum, with a gauge of services falling to its lowest level in more than three years in April.

The pound fell to its lowest level against the dollar in over a week as construction became the latest sector to signal Britain’s economy is losing momentum, with the UK heading for a referendum that may push it out of the world’s largest trading bloc.

Overseas demand for Irish manufactured goods dwindled in April, just two months before key trade partner the UK votes on its future relationship with the EU.

A leading economist recommends investors should buy the bond debt of the so-called eurozone peripheral nations, such as Portugal, Spain and Italy, as market participants predict that ECB rates could stay at ultra-low levels for a decade.

Britain’s economy appears to have slowed since the start of this year as worries about the global economy, government spending cuts, and a vote on staying in the EU take their toll, a closely watched survey showed yesterday.

Growth in construction of new homes in Britain ebbed to its lowest level in three years in March, according to a survey yesterday that showed the overall expansion in the building trade held at its weakest in nearly a year.

Ireland’s position as the eurozone’s fastest-growing economy was underlined yesterday by data showing the country’s manufacturing sector outshone most of its counterparts last month to reach an eight-month high.

IHS, which provides data analysis for energy and automotive companies, has agreed to acquire London-based Markit to bulk up in financial services.

There was no slowdown in Irish consumer spending last month, new figures indicate.

Confidence among UK services firms slid to a three-year low last month as the risk of Britain exiting the European Union weighed on executives’ minds.

Unemployment across the 19-country eurozone economy has fallen to its lowest level in nearly four years, official figures have shown.

Britain’s recovery is losing steam as worries about the world economy grow, consumers curb spending, and manufacturing sector weakness spreads, said the authors of a closely watched business survey yesterday.

Flagging demand dragged China’s giant factory sector into its sharpest contraction in six-and-a-half years in September, a private survey showed yesterday, triggering a flight to safety in Asian markets that analysts say could extend across the globe.

Eurozone business growth slowed this month as Asian demand weakened, leading to fewer new jobs and forcing factories to reduce output, even though companies raised prices for the first time in over four years, a survey showed yesterday.

Eurozone business activity accelerated at its fastest pace in more than four years last month as Italy turned in its best performance since early 2011 and German growth strengthened, surveys showed yesterday.

A pick-up in house building helped growth in Britain’s construction sector speed up slightly last month, but the expansion remained weaker than last year’s robust rebound, an industry survey showed yesterday.

Consumer expenditure in Ireland increased in June, according to Visa Europe's Irish Consumer Spending Index.

British mortgage approvals surged by the most in six years in April and lending to individuals also rose sharply, underlining the clout of the country’s consumers, but also its reliance on them to drive the economy.

Eurozone business growth was weaker than expected this month and factory activity in Asia’s top two economies remained stuck in low gear, putting the onus squarely on the US to drive a pick-up in global growth.

US economic growth braked more sharply than expected in the first quarter, as harsh weather dampened consumer spending and energy companies struggling with low prices slashed spending, but there are signs activity is picking up.

The US economy skidded to a near halt in the first three months of the year, battered by a triple whammy of harsh weather, plunging exports and sharp cutbacks in oil and gas drilling.

Dublin city centre office rents experienced the sharpest contraction during the economic crash but are recovering at a faster pace than anywhere else in the capital, a report indicates.

Business activity weakened in China and Japan in April and growth slowed in Europe and the US, suggesting the global economy may be less robust than policymakers are predicting.

Britain’s economic growth probably slowed in early 2015, official data showed yesterday, potentially making it harder for prime minister David Cameron to persuade voters to trust his party to run the economy.

Price discounting drove growth in all of the eurozone’s major economies in March, helping business activity increase at its fastest rate for nearly a year, a survey showed yesterday.