Dublin-based pharmaceutical services provider Icon has made its second significant expansion announcement in less than a week, with the acquisition of US market intelligence agency MediMedia Pharma Solutions for $120m (€106m) in cash.

Investors kept the stock market’s upward momentum going today, sending shares sharply higher as the dollar extended its slide and after retail sales rebounded more than expected in October.

Caution returned to Wall Street today as investors gave back some gains from last week’s rally even as they found encouragement from President-elect Barack Obama’s calls for an economic stimulus package

US stocks rose modestly in the United States today after investors bobbed and weaved with every word of new Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke’s testimony before Congress.

Hurricane Ophelia picked up strength as it closed in on North Carolina today, but many in the storm's path had shrugged off the threat of wind and flooding rain and ignored pleas to evacuate.