Donald Trump's re-election to the White House was largely cheered by US markets, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average as well as other market indicators up by as much as 3 per cent as the news broke in November. The European Commission had been correct in deciding back in 2016 that Apple had received illegal state aid from Ireland and must pay the State €13 billion in back taxes, plus interest.
Outgoing EU competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager, who persisted with the case, would tell reporters hours after the final ruling that she had broken down in tears when she learned the outcome. The €14 billion pot, including interest, held in escrow since 2018, took centre stage in the recent general election, featuring in all party manifestos as they pledged to spend the windfall on everything from housing to the green transition. The case had no bearing on Apple’s own share price, however, as it spiralled to new heights, making it the first business to beach the $3.5 trillion (€3.3 trillion) level. C&C Group was rattled in June when the drinks group restated three years of its earnings due to accounting errors, resulting in the company taking an underlying charge of €5 million and parting way with its chief executive of just over a year. C&C subsequently said that it will pay a €1.3 million settlement to the former CEO, Patrick McMahon. He had succeeded David Forde, who quit in May 2023 after the group incurred a one-off charge of €25 million related to the delayed implementation of a new business management system at one of its UK units. Mainvest, the second-last company to float on the Irish stock market, in 2021, plunged 95 per cent this year as the storage developer for renewable energy required two emergency cash injections from large shareholders as it searched for a long-term investor and saw members of its original board, including its founders, depart