Former muffin man lands a sweet $14m Etihad deal

The fortunes of a Dublin businessman – who failed in a muffin business here – are now soaring following his firm securing a $14 million (€11m) contract with Etihad Airlines. Swords native Joseph McKeever, of Spatial Composite Solutions (SCS), said...

Irish banks most improved ahead of euro zone stress tests

The financial resilience of banks here has improved more than that of lenders anywhere else in the euro zone since 2010, according to researh from law firm Linklaters. Euro zone banks have raised 35pc more capital ahead of the European Central Bank’s (ECB)...

Exclusive: Price of cigarettes to rise to €10 a pack

Finance Minister Michael Noonan is increasing the price of a packet of cigarettes by 40 cent, it has emerged. The price increase will come into effect overnight. Meanwhile,  workers earning less than €12,000 will be exempt from the Universal Service Charge under other...

Small Business Column: How Budget 2015 could affect SMEs

On the eve of Budget 2015, Kehlan Kirwan looks at what SMEs should look out for in Finance Minister Michael Noonan’s speech. Tomorrow will see the Michael Noonan set the financial plan for Ireland for 2015, and from the outside, it looks as if it may generally be one...

Trade Gap Unexpectedly Narrows in August on Record U.S. Exports

The trade deficit in the U.S. unexpectedly shrank in August to the lowest level in seven months as exports edged up to a record. The gap decreased 0.5 percent to $40.1 billion, the smallest since January, from a revised $40.3 billion in July, the Commerce Department...