Irish banks rise as cautious optimism creeps into sector

Aryzta falls further as company’s capital raise gets support from shareholder proxies

Firming oil prices boost energy stocks globally; Iseq underperforms European peers

Apec purchased 50% of southwest coast field thought to hold over 300 million oil barrels

Britain’s FTSE 100 index closed down 0.11 per cent as a number of earnings-driven falls weighed on the blue chips

Engineering firm collapses while mulitnational says it will shut plant

Aerospace firm axes further 280 staff, while oilfield group to close Newtownabbey plant

Latest drilling failure heaps pressure on explorer’s chief executive Tony O’Reilly jnr

Euro edges lower against dollar as investors brace for first round on Sunday

Analysts and industry players are more hopeful than ever that oil will flow from offshore Ireland

Companies argue deal predicated on return of oil to $60 a barrel combines two complementary businesses

Oil firm incentivises management to secure farm-out deals on Irish prospects

Irish heavyweights CRH, Smurfit Kappa and Glanbia help to drag down Iseq

US attorney-general calls abandonment of deal ‘a victory for the US economy’

GDP increased at a 1.4% annual rate instead of the previously reported 1% pace

Aryzta drops 10% after prediction of erratic growth leaves investors unimpressed

Markets still feel benefit of ECB president Mario Draghi’s hint at stimulus measures

A round up of business events happening this week

Oil and gas explorer says lower operating costs are helping to boost the industry

Job losses reflects downturn in oil and gas sector and plummeting crude prices

Enterprise Minister says reduced taxes will lead to more jobs

News follows Government announcement of widespread interest in new licensing round

Unemployment rate holds steady at 5.3% in month of July

First quarter gross domestic product revised upwards

‘I had a situation in a previous business where we had to downsize. Telling a colleague they no longer had a job was by far the hardest thing I’ve ever done’

Paddy Power, sponsor of bid by David Ginola for Fifa presidency, gains 1.19%

Schlumberger sees opportunity to increase market share after rivals Baker Hughes and Halliburton agreed to merge last year

Multinational to pay $3.5bn to Baker Hughes if deal is not approved by regulators but Halliburton expressed confidence that the deal would clear regulatory hurdles. Baker Hughes shares were trading at $65.40.

Good day for big names in Dublin as Bank of Ireland and CRH both rise by 4.4%

Two new independent non-executive directors announced for exploration firm’s board

Review finds just three deals were blocked by Irish Competition Authority over last decade

Irish company supplies specialised storage equipment to the oil and gas industry

Bank of Ireland, Glanbia and C&C lead Dublin stocks higher in holiday trading