RTE Business

Shell has today reported a 28% drop in first-quarter net profit to $5.58 billion, beating analyst expectations, and kept the pace of its share buyback programme steady amid falling oil prices and lower refining margins than last year.

LVMH group's wine and spirits business Moet Hennessy will shrink its workforce by more than 10%, about 1,200 employees, the Financial Times has reported, citing an internal video message from the division's CEO, Jean-Jacques Guiony.

Amazon.com last night reported first-quarter cloud revenue growth and forecast operating income below estimates, disappointing investors.

Bank of Ireland has kept its full year guidance unchanged after it said its group performance in the first quarter of 2025 was in line with expectations.

Ryanair said its passenger numbers for April rose by 6% as it operated over 103,000 flights during the month.

NatWest has today reported a forecast-beating 36% rise in first-quarter profit, thanks to healthier margins on deposits and higher loan balances, enabling the lender to upgrade a key return target despite rising economic uncertainty.

China has said it is evaluating a US offer for negotiations on tariffs but insisted Washington must be ready to scrap levies that have roiled global markets and supply chains before talks can begin.

The scarring effects of the pandemic has resulted in small and medium firms investing less in their businesses, according to the Economic and Social Research Institute.

Apple has reported first-quarter profit above expectations but warned that US tariffs could cost the company and were disrupting its supply chain.

The seemingly straightforward task of establishing and staffing a new office to speed up the building of homes has instead snowballed into a mighty political controversy, writes Mícheál Lehane.

London department store Harrods said today that hackers had attempted to break into its systems, the third high-profile cyber attack on a UK retailer in two weeks, following incidents at Marks & Spencer and the Co-op Group.

Accumulated profits at the firm behind Eamon Dunphy's The Stand podcast last year surged to €336,006 - just days before Dunphy pressed pause on the podcast project.

Fórsa members working in HSE and Section 38 hospitals have voted to accept proposals aimed at resolving a dispute over staffing numbers

Members of SIPTU and Fórsa have voted to accept a pay deal for community and voluntary sector workers that was agreed at the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) in March.

A takeaway boss has been accused of "violating and exploiting" a migrant worker for two years by putting him to work for up to 73 hours a week and docking tens of thousands of euro from his wages to pay off €30,000 in alleged "recruitment fees", the WRC has heard.

Meta Platforms has reported a strong advertising performance to beat analysts' revenue estimates for the first quarter and match expectations for the next quarter, assuaging investor concerns over tariff-related economic growth fears.

New figures from the Society of the Irish Motor Industry show that new car registrations rose by 1.9% in April, while registration of battery electric cars jumped by 23.7%.

Dublin and Cork airport operator daa recorded increased profits and revenue last year, as passenger numbers continued to grow.

McDonald's has today posted a surprise drop in first-quarter global comparable sales, as demand from cash-strapped diners in the US and Europe faltered on uncertainty sparked by chaotic tariffs.

US order books at the world's largest cardboard box maker Smurfit Westrock are steadying after "a lot of weakness" in March and early April amid falling consumer confidence, the company's chief executive Tony Smurfit said today.