Stuart Fitzgerald: Why strategy comes first – even for a small business

Teleios has two investment strategies: it patiently builds stakes in undervalued companies, and it barges its way onto the board of companies to shake things up. It has now built an 11 per cent stake in Glenveagh. What’s its intention?

The government wants to avoid a potential avalanche of rental disputes between tenants and landlords. However, the recent cases of Monsoon and New Look show that landlords are not going to make any easy sacrifices.

Irish borrowers mightn't realise it, but in March the bank regulator in Frankfurt did them a favour. The regulator told the Irish banks they could offer consequence-free payment holidays to borrowers – but only for six months. Six months have now passed, and one in seven Irish businesses borrowers are now officially behind on their debts.

The Budget contained a no-holds-barred €17 billion package to support the economy. It had money for businesses, employees and consumers. Lockdown II will test whether the government, stretched to full capacity, is capable of holding the economy together.

Even among vulture funds, Cerberus has developed a reputation as being the most aggressive operator – both in terms of how it deals with borrowers and how it structures its operations. Could it be about to make its biggest Irish deal yet?

The world's three big economies – the eurozone, the US and China – have started to diverge. As usual, the eurozone is lagging behind.

The state is putting up €30m to help fund start-ups. Before it disappears, very clear definitions need to be applied about what type of company qualifies for this money - and it should go to the firms with the fewest funding options.

As budgetary caution evaporates under the Covid-19 shock, energy efficiency, buses and trains are getting funded like never before. Can these new environmental priorities survive into the future?

The Budget 2021 trade-off is between spending big now and consolidating later. The government will have to work hard not to make that consolidation look and feel like austerity.

In the run-up to budget 2021, a debate is raging between those who think big and those who think very, very big. What constraints are Paschal Donohoe and Michael McGrath under?