A few chance encounters tell the alarming story about the economic storm enveloping Ireland.

The Covid-19 outbreak will impact the tourism and hospitality sectors across Munster, business leaders have warned.

Family members may be forced to communicate with each other by phone in their own homes if a member of the household is awaiting test results for the coronavirus.

Penneys owner ABF said supplies could be hit should the reopening of Chinese factories be delayed because the retailer sources much of its clothing lines from Asia.

The Central Bank, the Parliamentary Budget Office, and the world’s largest ratings firms have all urged the next government to avoid pumping up spending that could lead to a new crash.

Business groups have urged the next government — in whatever form it takes — to translate only their “business-friendly” election promises into action.

Eamon Quinn The motor trades boosted sales in the last three months of 2019, giving a glimmer of hope to the hard-pressed industry, as bar sales remain in the doldrums, official figures suggest.

A handful of Irish-related shares, including Tullow Oil, Glanbia and Bord Gáis owner Centria, were among the big stock market losers in Europe in the past year. Flutter Entertainment, which owns Paddy Power and Betfair, as well as Ryanair and Kerry Group were, however, among the big winners.

The Government is willing to consider an emergency fund to prevent creches from closing because of a withdrawal of insurance cover.

Eamon Quinn Irish banks will have to invest significant funds to repair “outdated and fragmented” computer systems and are still failing their customers, the Central Bank deputy governor has said.

Shares in Sports Direct International plunged after its auditor quit without a replacement, heightening corporate governance concerns at the retailer controlled by billionaire Mike Ashley.

Scandal-hit retailer Steinhoff said it had refinanced some €9bn of debt in its overseas operations which include Dealz in the Republic, Poundland in the North and Britain, and France’s Conforama, after pushing the deadline date back repeatedly.

Increases in carbon taxes should help fund energy- efficient grants for houses and greener transport options, the public and businesses have advised ahead of the budget.

The maker of Kipling Cakes, Bisto gravy and Oxo cubes reported higher group sales in the first quarter as its Mr Kipling cakes and Batchelors brands benefited from a TV advertising push.

Building materials group CRH is reportedly closing in on a €1.7bn sale of its European Distribution business to private equity fund Blackstone.

Ireland needs to nail down new policies on corporate taxation that allow the country to be “competitive” but also comply with changes envisaged under global tax reforms.

The price of crude oil declined after topping $72 a barrel last week as a key Russian pipeline began resuming shipments and global oil flows appeared undisturbed days before tougher US sanctions against Iran kick in.

The Irish Congress of Trade Unions (Ictu), the umbrella body for unions across Ireland, has warned of “a catastrophe” if the UK crashes out of the EU, while the Government’s National Treasury Management Agency (NTMA) said Irish bonds have already been affected by concerns over a no deal Brexit.

The loss of almost 500 jobs at Canadian company Bombardier in Belfast will have a disproportionately hard effect on the North’s economy. It will also show up its over-reliance on public service employment at a time of great stress over the Brexit talks, say experts.

Investors are the most bearish on sterling since the UK voted to leave the EU almost two-and-a-half-years ago, as markets wait for the possibility of a no-confidence vote on prime minister Theresa May.

The experts predict that a defeat may be snatched from the jaws of victory, with logic lacking in the Brexit negotiations. From local concerns to the international outlook, Eamon Quinn, Geoff Percival, and Pádraig Hoare report on this week’s Brexit progress.

The costs of rebuilding a home after a fire or a major flood — yardsticks used by insurance firms — is at least €227,440 in some areas, up 5.5% in the past year, and far in excess of inflation, according to surveyors.

The South African Spar retailing group says it is positively cautious about the effects of Brexit for its retailing interests in Ireland and the southwest of England. The Johannesburg-stockmarket-listed group owns 80% of BWG Spar and operates chains in Ireland and England, under its Spar Ireland division.

A surge in sterling as EU and UK negotiators reached a breakthrough in the Brexit talks could be shortlived, analysts have warned, as many political obstacles to closing the deal lie ahead.

The Government said that for the time being there is no need to revise the code of conduct that governs the behaviour of mortgage lenders to their distressed customers in arrears.

Surging pay, Brexit and record-low unemployment in Poland have transformed what was once one of Europe’s most mobile workforces.

Vodafone revenue growth in Ireland in the latest quarter outpaced many of its other areas in Europe even as it posted sharp falls in much larger markets in Italy and Spain.

Consumer and financial experts have called on regulators to probe the grip held by AIB and Bank of Ireland on the banking market. The calls come after ECB head Mario Draghi told the Oireachtas Finance Committee on Thursday that a “quasi-monopoly” was driving up the costs of credit for homes and business borrowers.

Many of the adverse trends leading to multiple closures of shops in the UK will likely accelerate in Ireland too, a retail researcher has said.

Ireland’s Kerry Group and France’s Danone are “in the vanguard” of sating global consumer demands for natural foods but they face huge challenges, according to a major report by Davy.

Shares in Kerry Group have risen 2.5% after the food firm said it was in good financial shape to continue its worldwide acquisitions drive and to withstand fast-flowing changes in consumer preferences. In an interim management statement, Kerry said that it increased sales volumes and revenues and maintained its profit margins, with pricing having fallen only slightly in the group in the third quarter.

The scrap among EU countries, with Ireland very much at the centre of the fight, over a proposed tax on tech giants, is set to resume later today when finance ministers try to strike a balance between luring business and addressing popular discontent about companies not paying their fair share.

Brightening prospects of what looked like, even a week ago, an unlikely Brexit breakthrough will be the key focus of Irish exporters, foreign exchange traders, and the Dublin and London stock markets this week.

The exchequer brought in much less in Vat receipts than it anticipated in October, while corporation tax receipts surged as the Government, as it had anticipated, got the first of its huge windfalls made up of advance payments by multinationals.

Aer Lingus has not ruled out expanding in Cork and Shannon as it plans a huge growth spurt across the Atlantic in the next five years, but Dublin appears likely to receive the lion’s share of the airline’s investment.

AIB fared relatively better than its main rival Bank of Ireland in so-called stress tests conducted on large European banks by regulators, but the outlook for their shares will likely remain clouded for some time.

Sterling surged over 1% against the euro and the dollar, as currency traders “giddily” bought the currency on confidence over a Brexit deal and growing bets the Bank of England would hike interest rates at a faster pace.