Central Bank does not want powers to enforce rate cutsTHE CENTRAL Bank has told the Government it does not want powers to force banks to pass on interest rate cuts to mortgage-holders…Mon Nov 14 2011 - 00:00
Government cannot have it every which way with banksBUSINESS OPINION: The reputational repair achieved by the Bank of Ireland investor deal has been undoneMon Nov 14 2011 - 00:00
Germany will inevitably face final choice on euro zone cureThere is an ‘all roads lead to Frankfurt’ certainty about the solution to the debt crisisMon Nov 07 2011 - 00:00
Regulator will have some explaining to do over CHCBUSINESS OPINION : Despite being alerted to one scheme, the regulator did not smell a rat and investigate furtherMon Oct 24 2011 - 01:00
Borrowers at the mercy of banks they helped to saveBUSINESS OPINION: Situations that could have been resolved within months will now play out over years.Mon Oct 17 2011 - 01:00
Forum yields a byproduct as spat raises issue of ethicsBUSINESS OPINION: Barry Maloney’s absence was a reminder of how Denis O’Brien acquired the Esat Digifone licenceMon Oct 10 2011 - 01:00
BofI and CRH stocks rise fuelling Iseq's rallyIseq: 2,480.79 (+50.67) Settlement date: October 8thThu Oct 06 2011 - 01:00
Nama should be chasing property deals not popularityBUSINESS OPINION : The ability of the agency to stand up to its political masters is open to questionMon Oct 03 2011 - 01:00
Local hostility to energy projects costing jobs and investmentBUSINESS OPINION: TWO STORIES stuck out in Saturday’s paperMon Sept 26 2011 - 01:00
Don't hold your breath waiting for sale of ESBBUSINESS OPINION: REGARDLESS OF where one stands on the merits or otherwise of selling a stake in the Electricity Supply Board…Mon Sept 19 2011 - 01:00
How far is too far in pursuit of former Anglo chiefs?BUSINESS OPINION: AN INTERESTING question is just how far should Anglo Irish Bank go in its pursuit of monies owed to it by …Mon Sept 12 2011 - 01:00
Consensus on need for private debt write-off marks progressThe trade-off between preserving bank reserves and stimulating the economy remainsMon Sept 05 2011 - 01:00
'This is Anglo so there is only one thing to do – party!'ANGLO IRISH Bank spent hundreds of thousands of euro on client entertainment and staff parties in the weeks and months leading…Sat Sept 03 2011 - 01:00
Nama actions on developers may sow seeds for next crashNama has not moved to put the vast majority of big developers out of businessMon Aug 08 2011 - 01:00
State has paid a high price for private equity endorsementBUSINESS OPINION: The Coalition has emphasised the no-risk dimension to the deal, despite the fact that the taxpayer remains…Mon Aug 01 2011 - 01:00
Hearings will tell if Musgrave shelved its good values in Superquinn dealBUSINESS OPINION: MUSGRAVE LOOKS to have been hoisted by its own petard once againMon Jul 25 2011 - 01:00
Time to thank Moody's and embrace our junk statusBUSINESS OPINION: Downgrade puts the Government ever closer to having to make a decision on our futureMon Jul 18 2011 - 01:00
How to avoid a second bailout? Make the first one workBUSINESS OPINION: There’s a case for trying to unpick as much as possible of our not-very-good rescue planMon Jul 11 2011 - 01:00
U2 criticism sits uncomfortably alongside low tax rate obsessionLack of reaction on home turf to U2’s ‘tax planning’ certainly speaks volumesMon Jun 27 2011 - 01:00
Onus on ECB to provide alternative to burning Anglo bondholdersBUSINESS OPINION: YOU PROBABLY did not notice but Ireland defaulted last week, and arguably not for the first timeMon Jun 20 2011 - 01:00
EU transfer union already here, we just don't know itBUSINESS OPINION: The bigger EU states have already effectively begun subsidising the poorer statesMon Jun 13 2011 - 01:00
Inscrutable owners now facing pressure to make call on EircomBUSINESS OPINION: An injection of about €400m is needed – STT have to figure out if they would ever get it backMon May 30 2011 - 01:00
DCU president plans for 'university of enterprise'DUBLIN CITY University has set up an Enterprise Advisory Board to look at ways in which the university and enterprise can collaborate…Fri May 20 2011 - 01:00
Permanent TSB may not be a viable bank after restructuringBUSINESS OPINION: Some 60 per cent of the mortgage book is made up of trackers that may never make a returnMon May 16 2011 - 01:00
Legal industry must now be dismantled or subsidisedBUSINESS OPINION: You cannot shrink an economy by 10 per cent and sustain a legal edifice at the same levelMon May 09 2011 - 01:00
Insurance fund used to grease wheels of Quinn restructuringBUSINESS OPINION: Can the blame for the massive insurance claim be laid entirely at Seán Quinn’s feet?Mon May 02 2011 - 01:00
Show trial of senior bankers would hamper serious reformBUSINESS OPINION: A Dirt-style Oireachtas inquiry into the banking crisis is exactly what we don’t needMon Apr 25 2011 - 01:00
Upward-only rent review will tell a lot about reform hopesBUSINESS OPINION: If we want to compete, costs – including commercial rents – must be competitiveMon Apr 18 2011 - 01:00
Coalition must face up to tackling illegal file sharingBUSINESS OPINION : Legal complexity and stout opposition from interested parties are no reason for inactionMon Apr 11 2011 - 01:00
Sooner or later, Irish default threat must be dealt withBUSINESS OPINION: As the EU, IMF and ECB conduct the first review of our programme of repair, they must accept it as a two-way…Mon Apr 04 2011 - 01:00
What Moriarty tells us about doing business in IrelandBusiness and political leaders simply do not believe that ethical behaviour pays offMon Mar 28 2011 - 01:00
Beefing up Europe funds could solve our problemsBUSINESS OPINION: The right scenario might create the sort of cheap financing that would ease our lotMon Mar 21 2011 - 00:00
Banking Bill poses serious threat to press freedomBUSINESS OPINION: New law will penalise journalists who report on Minister exercising powers in privateMon Mar 14 2011 - 00:00
Private pension initiative may make coalition deal palatableBUSINESS OPINION: Solving private sector pension crisis could facilitate agreement between FG and LabourMon Feb 28 2011 - 00:00
Rushing to pay back the ECB loans may prove a costly mistakeBUSINESS OPINION: The bailout agreement allows some wriggle room about how we restore banks’ liquidityMon Feb 21 2011 - 00:00
ECB needs to realise Irish problem is its problemThe ECB is on the hook for the €177 billion it lent to the Irish banking systemMon Feb 14 2011 - 00:00
AIB says delay may allow consideration of stress testsREACTION: ALLIED IRISH Banks said yesterday the Government decision to delay further recapitalisation until after the election…Thu Feb 10 2011 - 00:00
NTMA must ensure banks act in national interestBUSINESS OPINION: The McInerney examinership case raises plenty of questions that need to be answeredMon Feb 07 2011 - 00:00
Nama 2 will help banks - so they must help small firmsThe asset management agency will address lower-level property players in next phaseMon Jan 31 2011 - 00:00
Kitchen cabinet of Celtic Tiger hotshots failed CowenBUSINESS OPINION: It appears to have been Cowen’s bad luck on the banking crisis that he surrounded himself with the wrong advisers…Mon Jan 17 2011 - 00:00
Greencore should be hauled over coals on Mallow sugar plant closureBUSINESS OPINION: THE OIREACHTAS agriculture committee has invited Greencore management in for a chat later this month about…Mon Jan 10 2011 - 00:00
Was Fingleton a mastermind or merely a greedy fool?BUSINESS OPINION: There is no doubt that Michael Fingleton’s pension arrangements were extraordinaryMon Dec 27 2010 - 00:00
Personal debt initiatives key to getting economy firingBUSINESS OPINION: Mechanism to handle widespread insolvency is clearly needed now – so why the delay?Mon Dec 20 2010 - 00:00
The ECB may not be the friend it seemsBUSINESS OPINION: Suggestions that bailout may in fact be to protect European interests may not be too wide of markMon Nov 22 2010 - 00:00
German solution seems irresistible to Irish people but not to the StateBUSINESS OPINION: Why is the Government against accessing the European Financial Stability Fund?Mon Nov 15 2010 - 00:00
Lenihan targets €6bn cut in borrowing for 2011THE GOVERNMENT will cut borrowing by €6 billion next year through a combination of spending cuts and tax increases.Fri Nov 05 2010 - 00:00
Short-sharp medicine may damage the patientBUSINESS OPINION: The sort of austerity we are being asked to take in one year is what the UK plans to do over fourMon Oct 25 2010 - 01:00
Nama for court over €300m debtsThe National Asset Management Agency (Nama) will instigate legal action in the coming weeks against individuals with debts amounting…Sun Sept 12 2010 - 01:00
NTMA had doubts about Anglo but unclear if minister alertedTHE CHIEF executive of the National Asset Management Agency said he did not know if the National Treasury Management Agency communicated…Sat Sept 11 2010 - 01:00
Nama to pursue 12 individuals over debts totalling €300mTHE NATIONAL Asset Management Agency (Nama) will instigate legal action in the coming weeks against individuals with debts amounting…Sat Sept 11 2010 - 01:00
