MONDAY
Meetings: Independent News & Media EGM (O'Callaghan Alexander Hotel, Dublin 2).
Indicators: Irish Investec services PMI (Nov); Irish consumer confidence (Nov); Japanese consumer confidence (Nov); German Markit services PMI (Nov); Euro zone Markit services PMI (Nov); US Markit services PMI (Nov); Japanese Nikkei Services PMI (Nov); Euro zone retail sales (Oct); US balance of trade (Oct).
TUESDAY
Results: Ashtead Group.
Meetings: Residential Property Summit (the Radisson Blue Royal Hotel, Dublin 8).
Indicators: German factory orders (Oct); Euro zone retail PMI (Nov); US factory orders (Oct).
Other: Wolseley interim management statement.
Property summit to examine future of housing
The homelessness crisis, higher rents and a continuing dysfunctional property market have dominated news headlines. The National Economic and Social Council (NESC) estimates that between a quarter and a third of all households cannot afford to purchase their own home or pay a market rent in private rented housing. But, how are housing providers, local authorities and house-builders positioning themselves to address the problem and what solutions are they adopting?
A one-day residential property summit taking place in Dublin this week aims to bring together all the major stakeholders in the housing and property sector to examine the future of housing in Ireland.
The day will focus on the Irish house building challenge and how the home-building revolution the country needs can be delivered. Topics being examined include unlocking land for residential development, innovation and creativity in the delivery of affordable housing, the critical legal bottlenecks contributing to the chronic shortage of new homes, residential debt funding and whether the property bubble is back.
Speakers include Davy Research chief economist Conaill MacCoille, O’Flynn group managing director Michael O’Flynn, Ireland Strategic Investment Fund head of private equity Fergal McAleavey, Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government Simon Coveney, and London School of Economics research fellow Kathleen Scanlon.
WEDNESDAY
Meetings: Irish Medtech CEO Forum (Radisson Blu, Galway); FLAC annual lecture with Justice Edwin Cameron (Rotunda Hospital, Dublin 1).
Indicators: German industrial production (Oct); UK industrial production (Oct); US MBA mortgage applications (Dec 2); Japanese GDP growth rate (Q3).
Other: Greencore Group EGM (Westin Dublin Hotel, Dublin 2).
Medtech sector in focus at forum
How did Ireland lead a medtech revolution to become one of the top five emerging global medtech hubs with 450 medtech businesses including 18 of the world’s top 25, the second highest number of medtech professionals in Europe (per capita), and more than a third of all investment going to Europe coming here?
This will be examined at this year’s Irish Medtech CEO Forum taking place in Galway on Wednesday and Thursday.
Over the two days the forum will hear from 35 international experts on medtech opportunities and challenges, such as the role of medtech in alleviating the pressures on overburdened hospitals and what Ireland can learn from countries such as Sweden for making the Internet of Medical Things a success for patients and businesses.
Speakers will include Swedish Medtech chief executive Anna Lefevre Skjöldebrand; DePuy Synthes global vice president Pat Brady, 3M Healthcare vice president William Cruise, CPL director of recruitment Peter Cosgrove and Health Service Executive CIO Richard Corbridge.
The conference culminates with the Irish Medtech Excellence Awards, which will take place on Thursday evening. Medtronic, Abbvie Ballytivnan and Abbott Diagnostics Longford are shortlisted for medtech company of the year. Clirinx, OrthoXel and Zoan BioMed are shortlisted for emerging company of the year, and in the eHealth innovation of the year category, 3D4Medical, ONCOassist and SilverCloud Health are the finalists.
IDA Ireland head of medical technologies, Michael Lohan, said Ireland's collaborative medtech community is part of what makes it a location of choice for foreign direct investment and for starting and sustaining a medtech business.
“Last year we saw €309 million in investment into the medtech industry in Ireland. This trend has continued over the past 12 months with investment announcements from established clients including BD, Medtronic, Stryker and Fort Wayne Metal while first-time investments were secured from Surmodics, Zeltiq and Fazzi Healthcare.”
THURSDAY
Results: DS Smith; Sports Direct International; Peregrine Pharmaceuticals.
Meetings: Irish Medtech CEO Forum (Radisson Blu, Galway); Irish Medtech Excellence Awards (Radisson Blu, Galway); Green REIT AGM (Merrion Hotel, Dublin 2).
Indicators: Chinese balance of trade (Nov); Irish inflation rate (Nov); US initial jobless claims (Dec 3).
Other: European Central Bank interest rate decision.
FRIDAY
Meetings: TEDxUCD (UCD Student Centre, Dublin 4); Cork Chamber annual Christmas lunch (Vienna Woods Hotel, Cork); Karelian Diamond Resources AGM (Davenport Hotel, Dublin 2); Conroy Gold & Natural Resources AGM (Davenport Hotel, Dublin 2).
Indicators: Irish GDP growth rate (Q3); Chinese inflation rate (Nov); German balance of trade (Oct); UK balance of trade (Oct).