Existing US home sales rose in January, marking three gains in the past four months, while inventories continued to improve, according to the National Association of Realtors. Distressed sales accounted for 35% of the market.

In the month of December 2011, the Eurozone (EA17) new industrial orders index rose by 1.9%, after a fall of 1.1% in November. In the EU27 new orders increased by 1.3% in December 2011, after a decrease of 1.2% in November. Excluding ships, railway & aerospace equipment, for which changes tend to be more volatile, industrial new orders gained 2.5% in the Eurozone and 2.6% in the EU27.

The Irish Government has agreed with the EC-ECB-IMF troika on the sale of State assets up to a value of €3bn based on "the guiding principles that there will be no firesales. Integral transmissions and distribution systems will be retained in State ownership and full value will be derived for the State."

Markets news on stocks, currencies and commodities: Obama to propose cut in US corporate tax rate.

Eurozone business activity slipped back into contraction in February. Output rose slightly in Germany and France with manufacturing rising overall and services slipping.

Principal news stories from the Irish Times and Irish Examiner.

On Tuesday, Germany and France announced new plans to bring together their business tax regimes as they progress their plans for full fiscal union.  The aim will be to align their tax systems, starting in 2013.  The proposals also support the recent Euro Plus Pact, which sets out the rules for future economic and fiscal co-ordination between the EU members, excluding the UK, Sweden, Czech Republic and Hungary which did not join the new treaty. One early potential change will be France cutting its main corporate tax rate.

China's manufacturing PMI improved marginally in February, according to a flash estimate that was issued today.

PayPal, the global online payments company, owned eBay, and Taoiseach Enda Kenny TD today announced the creation of 1,000 jobs over the next four years at PayPal’s new European Operations Centre in Dundalk, Co Louth.  The jobs are supported by Government through IDA Ireland. Four-digit new jobs announcements have been rare in recent years.

Markets news on stocks, currencies and commodities; Kerry Group reports rise of almost 11% in 2011 profit.

Eurozone finance ministers agreed a second bailout for debt-stricken Greece in the early hours of Tuesday that will save the country from bankruptcy but according to a troika sustainability report, the outlook is grim.

Principal news stories from the Irish Times and Irish Examiner.

NAMA -- the  National Asset Management Agency - said today that claims in The Sunday Independent yesterday that the agency could have cost 230 Google jobs that were being created in Dublin, were completely 'inaccurate and misleading.' The agency said as it increases the level of enforcement activity, it has observed the number of baseless claims and critical stories are increasing.

Enterprise Ireland, the State enterprise agency responsible for promotion of indigenous enterprises, said today that Irish-owned firms were responsible for 6.4% of Irish exports to China in 2011.

Markets news on stocks, currencies and commodities; Eurozone finance ministers will meet in Brussels on Greek bailout; S&P affirms Japan’s AA sovereign debt rating with negative outlook.

Country comparisons should be viewed with caution and are often used to support a fixed view while inconvenient information is ignored. Wittingly or unwittingly, proponents of a Eurozone exit for Greece underestimate the devastating consequences - -  the risks are also high for Ireland given that it is the developed country that is more dependent on foreign-owned firms than any other.

In the year ended 31 December 2011, Bank of Ireland reported a loss before tax of €190m compared to a loss before tax of €950m in 2010. BoI said the 2011 performance has been influenced by non-recurring items including the gains from forcing discounts on junior bondholders partly offset by losses on divestment of certain loan portfolios under its deleveraging plan.

Principal news stories from the Irish Times and Irish Examiner.

Principal news stories from the Irish Times and Irish Examiner.

An Irish food and drink industry lobby group has warned about 'proposals emerging from parts of government, such as sugar and packaging taxes.'