The week ahead in business: IDA end-of-year results, ECB decision on interest rates, and ESRI figures on the economy

Foreign direct investment held up surprisingly well in the first six months of the year, defying the global economic uncertainty to set up the creation of over 10,000 new jobs. IDA Ireland, in its mid-year results, announced that there had been 179 investments made by global companies in Ireland, up 37pc on the same period last year.