Compiled by Laura Slattery.
Quote of the Week . . .
"She was extremely generous as a philanthropist and gave tens of millions of dollars to charity right up until the last months of her life."
- Howard Rubenstein, publicist to notorious hotelier Leona "Queen of Mean" Helmsley (right), tries to deflect attention from her reputation as a convicted tax cheat who once said "only the little people pay taxes". Ms Helmsley died the world's 369th richest person this week, aged 87.
The Numbers
29.4Percentage of Aer Lingus now owned by Ryanair, increasing its power to embarrass the Government at upcoming egm.
€4.2mSum that Ulster Bank is to refund to 25,000 of its customers whom it overcharged on its payment protection policies.
€7 millionLoss recorded by Communicorp, the Denis O'Brien group that owns Today FM, 98 FM, Spin 103.8 and NewsTalk, according to just-filed 2005 accounts.
1.9Percentage drop in Irish retail sales in June compared to May, as the rain kept consumers away from the tills.
Good Week . . .
Oil guzzlersUS crude oil fell below the $70 a barrel level for the first time since July 2nd, as the threat that Hurricane Dean might disrupt supply from oil fields in the southern part of the Gulf of Mexico - home to a third of the US's oil production - eased as the storm lost its strength.
KelloggsA 4 per cent increase in sales helped the snap, crackle and pop merchants beat Heinz to the position of biggest-selling grocery brand in the UK. Walkers Crisps and Cadbury shared the bronze medal.
Petrel ResourcesThe war may still be raging in Iraq, but the mining company told shareholders at its agm in Dublin that it is ready to fly to Baghdad to sign contracts with the Iraqi government that will allow Petrel to share in the production proceeds of its existing oilfield projects.
Bad Week . . .
Investment bankersYear-end bonuses in the City of London and on Wall Street will drop by 10-15 per cent because of the credit crunch, remuneration specialists say. Bankers had expected to see their bonuses boosted by a boom in merger and acquisition activity in the first half of the year.
Mortgage holdersThe European Central Bank has signalled it will stand firm on its plans to hike interest rates next month, saying its monetary policy stance had not been blown off course by the markets crisis.
Paper money usersPenneys will become the latest retailer to stop accepting cheques from this Sunday. Could the Republic's dependence on paper-based financial transactions - which is higher than the EU average - finally be set to fall?
Quote of the Week 2 . . .
"We've been seeing stress and strains . . . but this is against the backdrop of a strong global economy."
- After two weeks of interventions, fund rescues and bankruptcy filings and near collapses, everything's going to be just fine, insists US Treasury secretary Henry Paulson.
