Rents and home and health insurance premiums continued to rise in February while airfares also rose significantly, according to the last Consumer Price Index.

Irish fruit distributor Total Produce remains on the lookout for more acquisitions on the back of stronger-than-expected annual earnings.

Kerry Group has dismissed speculation it might sell its consumer food arm by saying it remains “very, very committed” to it and still sees further growth opportunities arising from the division.

Shares in Cuisine de France owner Aryzta jumped by almost 12% yesterday on the back of the troubled group launching a recovery bid which will see founder and chief executive Owen Killian leave the company and its investment strategy reviewed.

Ryanair shares fell nearly 4% yesterday on the back of the airline missing quarterly earnings targets and admitting its full-year outlook is looking vulnerable.

Shares in Tullow Oil fell up to 3% yesterday after the Irish-founded exploration company announced its founder and chief executive Aidan Heavey is to step down and that its 2016 revenues are likely to have fallen by almost 19%.

The prospect of the Government selling 25% of its near total stake in AIB next year looks to have strengthened, with the bank yesterday noting continued trading momentum.

More than 2m people are in employment, the most working in the country since 2008, according to the latest figures from the Central Statistics Office.

Shares in Paddy Power-Betfair jumped more than 4% to breach the €100 mark, yesterday, after the betting services group reported on a strong third quarter and upped its earnings estimates for the full year.

House prices have risen by almost 7% in the first five months of 2016 compared to the same period last year.

Ryanair is expected, in the coming months, to announce an extension to its share buyback programme which will have returned €800m to investors when scheduled to run its course in September.

Shares in paper and packaging group Smurfit Kappa jumped more than 3% in early trading yesterday on the back of it posting a 31% increase in quarterly profits and forecasting strong earnings growth for the full year.

Irish export and manufacturing growth could take a sizeable hit this year on the back of currency fluctuations and continuing global weakness.

Shares in newly merged betting services firm Paddy Power-Betfair fell by nearly 4% yesterday, before recovering slightly, after the group said first-quarter revenues were affected by adverse sports results, including a €20m hit from the Cheltenham festival in March.

Property prices continued to rise last month, with the strongest growth taking place outside Dublin.

Ireland’s trade surplus could be even bigger this year than the record surplus recorded in 2015, despite a number of headwinds affecting Irish exporters.

Fruit distributor Fyffes has diversified its product offering with the €98m acquisition of Highline Produce, the largest mushroom producer in Canada.

Commentators still expect the economy to continue its impressive growth surge this year following its best performance in 15 years despite domestic political uncertainty, the Brexit threat and a slowing global economy.

Shares in Dublin-based fruit distribution company Total Produce rose by nearly 3% yesterday on the back of a strong set of annual figures and the company targeting strong earnings growth for this year.

AIB says it’s in good enough shape for the first slice of the bank to be sold off later this year, and hopes that turbulent market conditions will have settled by then.

Property prices rose over 7% in the year to January, although prices had been mainly static for the past six months.

Shares in Tullow Oil were up by more than 12% in London for much of yesterday’s trading session, hitting a two- month high in the process, as the Irish-founded explorer issued an upbeat trading update and said it is financially protected against the continually weakening oil price environment.

The decision by the Federal Reserve to increase interest rates is set to have profound implications for investors and companies alike in both developed and emerging markets over the next year.

The introduction of the Central Bank’s rules on mortgage lending earlier this year is dampening the growth of house prices, according to economists.

A leading analyst yesterday said he would be surprised if One51 were to be bought out around its current share price of €1.85 and believes that the plastics, waste management, and NTR stake-owning group led by chief executive Alan Walsh remains intent on bringing the firm to market in an initial public offering sometime in the future.

The low oil price environment has resulted in Irish-listed exploration firm Dragon Oil posting an 18% year-on-year drop in first half revenues, while profits dipped by over 50%.

Ireland’s trade balance is expected to show a first increase in five years, this year, as the broad-based recovery in export performance continues.

Shares in Dublin-listed exploration firm Dragon Oil hit a record high, yesterday, as the company agreed to improved takeover terms tabled by its majority shareholder.

Investors in Dublin-listed exploration firm Dragon Oil are being urged to hold out for an anticipated higher value takeover offer from the company’s majority shareholder, the Emirates National Oil Company (ENOC), than the €5.03bn currently being proposed.

Ireland’s manufacturing industries showed strong growth in March — according to new CSO data — with production levels rising nearly 3% in the month and by as much as 45.5% on a year-on-year basis.

Consumer spending could rise by 9% in volume terms this year helping to maintain Ireland’s status as the the eurozone’s fastest growing economy for a second consecutive year.

Ireland’s seasonally adjusted trade surplus slipped by 1% to €3.8bn in February, although another strong export performance is anticipated for 2015, as a whole.

A broad-based recovery built on strong exports and improving domestic demand will see unemployment fall to around 9% this year.

Aer Lingus carried 18,000 additional passengers last month in comparison to the same period in 2014.

More job opportunities, increased consumer spending, improved manufacturing and exports figures are among a range of positive economic indicators outlined by the Central Bank showing the scope of our economic recovery is broadening for the first time in nearly a decade.

Strong growth in the export sector in the last 12 months is reflected in the latest CSO figures which show a 15% rise in January exports compared to the same period last year.

January saw further strong growth in the volume of consumer spending, cementing forecasts for growth in retail sales of up to 8% this year.