Australian bank shares surged the most in a decade after a long-awaited report on finance sector misconduct recommended dozens of rule changes but spared the big four lenders any serious threat to their market dominance.

Airlines could feel cashflow and liquidity pressures in the event of a no-deal Brexit, credit rating firm Moody’s has said.

The dominant role played by multinationals, the risks of a hard Brexit, as well as house prices are among the main threats facing the

Recently floated energy infrastructure company Greencoat Renewables has said it has a significant pipeline of wind-farm acquisition opportunities in Ireland and is optimistic about its chances for growth here, writes Geoff Percival.   

The Bank of England is widely expected to raise interest rates for the first time in more than 10 years next week, after the next meeting of its monetary policy committee.

British consumers are vulnerable to a hike in interest rates, ratings agency Moody’s has said, two weeks before the Bank of England is widely expected to hike borrowing costs for the first time in more than a decade.

British consumers are vulnerable to a hike in interest rates, ratings agency Moody’s has said, two weeks before the Bank of England is widely expected to hike borrowing costs for the first time in more than a decade.

Portuguese debt led a rally in eurozone peripheral bonds after S&P Global Ratings raised the country’s credit rating to investment grade.

The credit ratings agency Moody’s has today upgraded Ireland’s sovereign rating to A2 from A3 (a one notch improvement on the Moody’s scale).

Greek government bond yields dipped yesterday after Fitch became the second ratings agency to upgrade it to “Single B” status, marking another milestone in the debt-laden country’s slow journey away from default territory.

Brexit will still hit Ireland’s economy hard despite attracting increased levels of investment, according to Moody’s Investors Service.

The election of Emmanuel Macron in France is a positive for the country’s creditworthiness but his presidency could yet come unstuck if it fails to deliver growth to help cut its large debts, Moody’s Investors Service has said.

The benefits of rising house prices in Ireland and lower mortgage arrears will continue to spread to Irish banks and bonds backed by home loans, while the average amount of negative equity per borrower has fallen significantly, according to a report released today.

A hard Brexit and US plans for tax reforms are the biggest risks facing Ireland’s long-term prosperity, according to a report by Moody’s Investors Service.

Irish house prices should rise by up to 5% over the next year and a half, as mortgage arrears levels continue to slowly decline, international credit rating agency Moody’s has forecast.

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The US will “likely” cut its corporate taxes, a development which would expose Ireland to increased fiscal risks given the many US multinationals which are based here, according to an economic update by Moody’s Investors Service.

Irish banks, despite facing a drag on profitability from problem loans, will fare fairly well over the next couple of years mainly because the economy will survive the fallout from the Brexit shock, Moody’s Investors Service has predicted.

During World War Two, Winston Churchill became convinced that Italy would turn out to be the weak point of occupied Europe, and so it proved in 1943.

Legal & General’s balance sheet has proven resilient following the UK’s decision to leave the EU partly because the British insurer trimmed its exposure to riskier assets before the vote.

Fitch Ratings yesterday signalled it would not downgrade Ireland’s credit rating despite the huge market turmoil and warnings of slower growth here after the UK voted to quit the EU.

Irish bonds outperformed its eurozone peers in the first trading day after Moody’s Investors Service upgraded Ireland’s debt pile and delivered a better-than-expected scorecard on the country’s economic outlook.

Moody’s Investors Service has become the first authoritative international voice to play down the potential shock to the Irish economy were the UK to vote next month to leave the EU.

The shock to the Irish economy if the UK were to vote next month to exit the EU would be “manageable”, Moody’s Investors Service said in a sparkling weekend report on the economy here.

As Poland braces for a credit review by Moody’s Investors Service, the only question for economists is how bad the news is going to be.

Britain’s largest energy supplier Centrica has raised £700m (€889m) in a surprise share sale to pay off debt and protect its credit rating after being hit by weak energy prices and tough retail market competition.

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 growing use of electronic payments contributed €1.8bn to the economy during the recession through increased consumption and larger tax revenues, according to new research.

Rating agency Moody’s said the eurozone sovereigns’ ratings will likely remain stable in 2016-2017 but fading fiscal consolidation, limited progress on structural reforms, and rising political risks limit upside potential and create longer-term risks.

Bank of Ireland's interim results for 2015 show that the bank recorded an underlying profit of €1.2bn, an increase of 30% over the previous year.

Lower tax revenues because of job losses due to the collapse in oil prices will hit budgets of US oil-producing states this year and next, Moody’s Investors Service said.

Ratings agency Moody’s Investors Service said it will closely watch the next government’s spending plans and monitor private sector pay amid fears the bounty of the hard-won recovery could be wasted by unwise actions and frailties at home.

EU antitrust regulators have launched a full investigation into Hutchison Whampoa’s £10.3bn (€14.4m) bid for British mobile operator O2, concerned that the deal may push up prices.

Volkswagen is looking at ways to cut costs and boost cashflow and could sell more shares if the price of clearing up a scandal over its rigging of diesel emissions tests puts its credit rating at risk.

Credit ratings agency Moody’s has tonight announced its decision to revise its outlook for Ireland from stable to positive.

The Government and bank lenders were given something of a wake-up call yesterday as a leading international credit rating agency threw cold water on the prospects for a speedy return to normal personal debt levels here.

Greece got a triple dose of good news yesterday when creditors agreed to open talks on a third bailout package to give the country an interim loan to cover its debts and to provide more support to its closed banks.

Greece has committed to work intensively with international creditors to resolve outstanding issues holding up its access to bailout loans, according to German Chancellor Angela Merkel.