Investments in IDA- supported companies in the south east have risen by 86% over the past five years, while those in the south west region rose by 37%, the state agency said.

Johnson & Johnson may sell the global trauma business of its DePuy unit to Biomet Inc for $280m (€210m) in cash to remove a regulatory obstacle to its planned purchase of Synthes Inc.

The FTSE 100 Index slipped further below the 6000 mark today as heavily-weighted banking stocks suffered from renewed European debt concerns.