BRITVIC FIGURES SHOW CONSUMER WEAKNESS - Britvic's annual results show that Irish people drank 18 million litres less of Britvic products - which include brands such as Ballygowan, 7Up, Club and MiWadi - than in the previous year.
Britvic blamed a weak economy and a poor summer for falls in the volume and value of drink sales in Ireland. The volume of Britvic drinks sold in Irish pubs fell by 8.7%, while take-home volumes were down 2.2%.
Total revenue for the Irish business dropped by almost 10% to £162.8m.
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NOTHING NEW FROM EURO TALKS - AHEARNE - A meeting of euro zone ministers last night concluded with news that the European Financial Stability Facility will be boosted - but we do not know by how much. The International Monetary Fund will also move centre stage, with speculation that the European Central Bank will lend it money to pass on to distressed countries.
First reactions are not good - Tokyo stocks lost 0.5% this morning amid renewed worries over the European debt crisis.
NUI Galway economics professor Alan Ahearne who was adviser to the former Finance Minister Brian Lenihan during the negotiations on the Irish bail-out, said what emerged last night was not new, and had not previously impressed markets.
He said there was only one institution with the money to help Italy and Spain - the European Central Bank. But Professor Ahearne said that even ECB action would be only a temporary solution, and it would take many years to create the institutions necessary for fiscal union in the euro zone - such as euro bonds and a euro finance minister.
He said politicians should express their commitment to taking such measures, which would give the ECB a route to act more decisively.
Asked about reports that business were making contingency plans for a euro break-up, he said it made sense for firms to do this, but such a break-up would be devastating for the economy and businesses.
The economist added that there was little that could be cone now to keep the euro area out of recession in the first half of 2012.
