The number of Americans filing new claims for jobless benefits fell more than expected last week while activity in the services sector hit a six-month high in March, underscoring the economy’s solid fundamentals despite a recent softening in growth.

The Irish arm of US investment banking giant Cantor Fitzgerald has posted an after-tax profit of just over €8m for 2013.

The stock market rose yesterday after two lacklustre economic reports convinced traders that the US central bank will continue to boost the economy with its stimulus programme.

THE ISEQ index commenced the new week with a gain of 41.57 points to 2,471.51.

The head of the US Federal Reserve has played down the risk of renewed recession, despite saying the outlook for the economy there is "unusually uncertain".

The US Federal Reserve will provide another $800bn (€614bn) in a bid to unfreeze the credit market and stabilise the financial system, officials said today.

America is “in the midst of a once in a century credit tsunami”, a former US Federal Reserve chairman said today.

Low consumer confidence, plunging house prices and the rising chances of a recession in the US will have a “very serious” knock-on effect for the UK, a leading economic adviser in England has warned.

The US Federal Reserve today nudged a key interest rate up to the highest level in nearly five years as Alan Greenspan brought his long tenure as chairman of the US central bank to a close.

WITH US interest rates on the move upwards, the doom merchants are already preparing their dismal analysis on the global economy.

US Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan signalled he is ready to keep US interest rates low for a "considerable" period of time to lift the economy and prevent a dangerous fall in prices.

NOW the boom, as we knew it, is officially over. That's the message from the Central Statistics Office last week.