Ryanair shares jumped more than 5% despite the airline warning that earnings in its financial year could fall by at least 7%.

The prospect of an increased tax on UK online gaming revenues represents a bigger threat to Paddy Power-Betfair than the enforcement of maximum restrictions on in-shop gaming machine betting, analysts have warned.

US investment firm Cantor Fitzgerald Ireland has struck an agreement to buy Merrion Capital, the broker with offices in Dublin and Cork. The deal, which is subject to Central Bank approval, comes after Irish brokers have faced continuing tough markets since the banking and property crash, despite the strong recovery of recent years.

The number of unemployed people in Ireland has fallen to its lowest level in a decade.

Analysts are expected to increase net profit forecasts for Origin Enterprises, following the Dublin-based agri-services group reporting a strong start to its current financial yea, writes Geoff Percival.

DCC shares performed sluggishly despite the group reporting a strong performance for its seasonally less important first half. The company says it remains on course for another full year of profit growth.

DCC shares performed sluggishly despite the group reporting a strong performance for its seasonally less important first half. The company says it remains on course for another full year of profit growth, writes Geoff Precival.

Kerry Group shares rose nearly 3% despite management cutting the upper limit of its full-year earnings expectations, writes Geoff Pervical.

Shares in FBD jumped over 11% on rising hopes of a resumption of dividend payments, in time.

Shares in CRH rose 3% after the building-materials giant announced it was to buy a leading US cement manufacturer for $3.5bn (€2.93bn).

Shares in Independent News and Media (INM) rallied yesterday, after a turbulent week ended with the group announcing a deal for pension scheme members.

The number of young people who are out of work has fallen by almost a third in just two years, according to the latest figures from the Central Statistics Office.

The country’s unemployment rate is predicted to be as low as 6.3% over the course of 2017 — after hitting a high of 15.1% at the peak of the financial crisis.

Constructions companies are pleading with expats to come home to fill job vacancies fuelled by an anticipated construction boom, writes Stephen Rogers in the Irish Examiner.

Constructions companies are pleading with expats to come home to fill job vacancies fuelled by an anticipated construction boom.

Irish investors have been warned off from increasing their bets on overvalued Irish and global shares because the risks posed by President Donald Trump cutting US corporation taxes and by Brexit-driven choppy currency markets for Ireland’s economy are just too great.

Two of Ireland’s largest food companies — Kerry Group and Glanbia — have seen an analyst upgrade on the back of strong quarterly updates showing they are weathering currency headwinds.

Stock markets investors should avoid Europe-wide shares for the time being, Merion Capital has warned, though a very small handful of Irish companies, including Fyffes and Irish Residential Properties REIT, may offer some shelter from further storms ahead.

Building materials giant CRH is expected to see lower-than-anticipated earnings growth in 2017 in light of potential ongoing market volatility and economic uncertainty.

A €254m jump in the value of goods exports helped drive a near 22% surge in Ireland’s trade surplus in April, newly published preliminary figures from the CSO show.

“LET’S keep the recovery going” was the general election slogan used by Fine Gael to emphasise the Government’s mastery of the economy and its competence in matters financial compared to administrations in other countries that had also suffered severely in the recession.

Investors in the Irish stock market should favour Irish firms that have less exposure to the UK — until the outcome of the British referendum on membership of the EU is known, Merrion Capital has said in a major report.

Glanbia will continue to expand via organic growth and acquisitions, managing director of the food group Siobhán Talbot said.

House prices are likely to rise again rapidly as the economy posts another set of strong economic growth numbers through 2016, a major stockbroking firm has predicted.

Car sales, boosted by the recent introduction of the ‘152’ registration plates, drove retail sales volumes up nearly 12% last month reaching a 10-year high in the process.

A broad-based recovery built on strong exports and improving domestic demand will see unemployment fall to around 9% this year.

Irish Residential Properties REIT has finalised the acquisition of a multi-million euro portfolio of Dublin properties and development land as part of a pipeline agreement with its parent company.

Kingspan has taken “a quantum leap” in its global expansion plans by acquiring Belgian specialist building materials firm Joris Ide for an estimated €315m.

Unemployment is set to fall below 10% for the first time since the economic crash as domestic demand picks up and external forces help GDP growth tick towards 4% again this year.

Ireland’s unemployment rate could fall to 10% next year, on the back of continuous declines in people signing on the dole.

Consumer spending is still expected to make a first annual positive contribution to Ireland’s economic growth for four years despite a dip in volumes in August.

The interest being charged by international investors on long-term Government debt still has the capacity to fall to record lows and should be close to 1% lower than current levels, a leading economist has said.

Increases in the cost of third-level education and higher health and motor insurance premiums led to a modest rise in inflation in June compared to 12 months ago.

It is new territory for the Irish women’s cricket team as they competed at their first ICC Twenty20 World Cup in Bangladesh today.

The rate of lending by Irish banks is continuing to decline and hinder the recovery of the Irish economy, according to Merrion economist Alan McQuaid.

The economy will pick up this year posting more than 2% real growth, according to Merrion Economics’ quarterly outlook.

Senator John McCain said Ireland still faces questions on how corporations use the country to lower taxes after Michael Noonan, the finance minister, moved to calm tensions triggered by Apple’s practices.

Ireland’s unemployment rate could fall to 12.5% by the end of 2014, although it is still likely to remain in double figures for a number of years, according to Merrion Stockbroker’s latest quarterly economic outlook.

Merrion stockbrokers is calling on the Government to ease off on austerity to stimulate growth.

The Government has failed retailers according to their representative bodies following a further fall in retail sales in May according to figures released by the CSO.

The unemployment rate will drop to 12% in the next two years, one of the most bullish economic forecasters has predicted.

Shares in Irish drug development company Merrion Pharmaceuticals jumped by 25% yesterday on the back of news that the firm has moved a step closer to playing a pivotal role in transforming diabetes medication.