Asian stocks have erased earlier declines on the final trading day of a volatile week, even as the Middle East conflict showed little sign of easing. Gold and silver rose overnight.
Some relief for regional shares came in the form of a weaker dollar and a drop in crude prices as the US weighed a range of options to address the spike in energy costs amid the war in Iran.
PTSB has proposed its first dividend since 2008 after growing loans and deposits last year, even though underlying pretax profits dipped almost 3 per cent amid declining interest rates.
The planned dividend payout amounts to only €10 million – or 1.835 cents per share – making it a symbolic gesture and another step on the bank’s return to normality as it seeks a new owner. The bank also said that it does not currently plan any further distributions as it remains subject to a sale process. Joe Brennan has the details.
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Irish women expect to earn 17 per cent less than men, says a new survey released ahead of a change in the laws on pay equality.
New European Union regulations due to come into force in June will force businesses to publish details on differences in pay between men and women.
Irish men typically expect to earn €64,000 a-year against €53,000 for women, a gap of 17 per cent, according to a study by one-line recruiter, Irishjobs, writes Barry O’Halloran.
European banking stocks have slumped as much as 8.6 per cent so far this week, making them among the worst hit sectors as the pan-European Stoxx 600 index dropped as much as 5.2 per cent. The Irish banks were in a good place, with strong results, but is this about to be undone by the Iran war, wonders Joe Brennan in Agenda.
Homes and businesses could face energy bill increases if the US-Iran conflict continues, a leading industry figure warned as oil and gas prices remained volatile on Thursday.
Might the US be falling in it war with Iran into what political theorists call an escalation trap?
Shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, the entrance to the Gulf, stalled at the weekend, while Iranian retaliation to US-Israel attacks halted liquefied natural gas production in Qatar.
This occurs when the aggressor’s attack unifies the country, creating a more coherent response, necessitating either deeper military engagement (an escalation) or a politically embarrassing climbdown.
This is how protracted conflicts start, writes Eoin Burke-Kennedy in his column.
How the conflict in the Middle East is already affecting Irish consumers
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The State’s efforts to grapple with its growing infrastructure deficit are not unique, says Jerome Frost, chief executive of UK-based global engineering and design consultancy Arup. In fact, its €275 billion plan to overhaul transport, energy, water supplies and housing pitches it into a race against many other countries facing the same challenges, writes Barry O’Halloran in our interview slot this week.
“It feels like there’s a race because of course there’s a finite number of engineers in the world, there’s a finite capacity for the industry to deliver,” he says. “So, the countries that are able to progress quickest are the ones that are going to be able to continue to attract investment.”
The problem facing consumers and investors trying to work out what the conflict in the Middle East means for their pockets is that we really don’t know very much at all. If you want to know what the stock market will look like in six months time, or what oil prices will be, it’s probably better to ask a military analyst than an economic one. Cliff Taylor five key things to watch.
Let’s say you run or own a successful business. The company is profitable, has a good product or service and loyal customers. You’ve enjoyed being your own boss, working hard with the team to solve client problems and love being in charge of your own destiny. But business growth is stalling, the executive team is chasing its tail and opportunities are being missed.
Where do you turn for support and inspiration? Who holds you to account and when will any of you ever have the time to craft a five-year strategy? Margaret E Ward outlines the reasons why having a board is a good thing.
The latter half of 2025 saw some of the UK’s most prominent woman chief executives exit their roles. Diageo’s Debra Crew, GSK’s Emma Walmsley and Severn Trent’s Liv Garfield all announced they would be leaving. Each was replaced by a man.
While women have stepped into other top jobs – Zoë Yujnovich has taken over at National Grid, while BP appointed Meg O’Neill – the recent departures are reviving questions about why they still remain so scarce at the very top of UK corporate life, writes Anjli Raval.
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