As the country enjoyed its first week after the troika, the Government was greeted with strong growth figures from the quarterly national accounts that showed GDP rose by 1.5%.

Ireland’s export-led recovery could be hitting a speed bump as the most recent external trade figures released by the CSO are much weaker across all sectors than had been forecast.

Despite some positivity about the economy the manufacturing sector is set to post a decline in output as the pharmaceutical sector continues to drag down overall figures.

The patent cliff continues to eat into Ireland’s export figures but on the plus side the country enjoyed an increase in the seasonally adjusted trade surplus.

The patent cliff continues to eat into Ireland’s export figures but on the plus side the country enjoyed an increase in the seasonally adjusted trade surplus.