Have you had your fill yet of budget speculation and rumours? Well the big day is upon us and The Irish Times is the place to follow Budget 2018 throughout the day. Starting with our liveblog from 10am, we will have up-to-the-minute news and expert analysis on every nuance of Paschal Donohoe's maiden budget speech.
From the budget to Brexit, and the notion that Dublin is more expensive than other European cities for workers and companies seeking to relocate staff is not necessarily borne out by the facts. Eoin Burke-Kennedy writes that across several key metrics, including house prices, rents and property taxes, the cost of living in the Irish capital does not diverge significantly from rival European cities seeking to lure post-Brexit business.
A leading corporate restructuring figure during the crisis has warned that Irish banks have yet to properly tackle unsustainable debt accumulated by professionals before the property crash. He talks to Joe Brennan, who also reports on a warning from the ECB that about 45 per cent of the euro-area's biggest 111 banks may beforced to hold more capital in reserve to deal with risks as a result of "shock" interest rate increases.
At Ryanair, the group claiming it is behind pilot's efforts to organise at the airline aims to seek assurances from the company before engaging in talks. Barry O'Halloran outlines the group's demands.
Former Nama executive Felix McKenna has been appointed as chief executive of Urbeo Residential, a new fund established to invest in long-term rental accommodation.
In her column, Laura Slattery laments the fading fortunes of the monthly glossy Glamour, which in its heyday "was funny and feminist, it talked about both ovaries and orgasms, and it lightly made its point that perfection is unattainable but here are 387 'hot looks' that might help".
Paschal Donohoe may not be aiming for perfection in what is being billed as a "jam tomorrow" budget, but let's hope it's not spread too thin this year.
