Compiled by Claire Shoesmith.

Quote of the Week

"The annual rate of house price inflation could well turn negative over the summer months and, even with some modest increases in prices in the latter part of the year, the inflation rate could still be in negative territory in December. Thus, we are now forecasting an end year inflation rate of minus 2 per cent, which would still constitute a soft landing."

- AIB passes judgment on the property market in its housing market bulletin for June

The Numbers

€5.6 billionThe amount of money wiped off the Iseq index of Irish shares on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week

5%The growth in net profit being forecast by Ryanair for the year to the end of March 2008. This compares with growth of 33 per cent in the year just gone.

64.2 millionThe number of shares in Independent News & Media now held by Denis O'Brien, long-standing business rival of Sir Anthony O'Reilly.

Good Week . . .

Carmakers and dealers:New car sales increased 7 per cent in the first five months of the year, according to the latest figures from the motor industry.

Origin Enterprises:The IAWS spin-off started trading on Dublin's IEX, the enterprise exchange for smaller companies, this week with a 75 cent gain on its first day in the market.

Airbus:The planemaker has secured an order for 14 aircraft with a book value of €1.8 billion from Aer Lingus, a welcome boost for the company as it tries to turn around its fortunes and compete with rival Boeing.

Bad Week

Homeowners:ECB president Jean-Claude Trichet (right) announces a interest rate hike of a quarter percentage point to 4 per cent this week and hinted there were yet more increases to come.

Mortgage lenders:A report by the Irish Banking Federation showed that the number of mortgages lent by financial institutions in the first quarter of this year fell 19 per cent when compared with the same period last year.

ESB:Two of its new power stations, which between them have the capacity to supply about 250,000 homes, were shut down over safety fears.

Nine out of 10 Cats . ..

Or rather one in three owner-managers of small businesses . . . fail to take their full holiday entitlement

Word of the Week

Seat burn -which Aer Lingus chief executive Dermot Mannion claims is going to be reduced when its new eco-friendly Airbus aircraft are introduced in 2009. This will no doubt be of some relief to passengers, but we can't help feeling he meant to say fuel burn.