Facebook issued a strong set of results last night, passing market expectations in most areas.
Adjusted second-quarter earnings were 50 cents per share and revenues came to $4.04bn - ahead of the forecast figure of $3.99bn.
The social network averaged 968 million active daily users in June, and the company will be hoping to pass the billion mark before the end of 2015.
32 million daily users were added during the quarter, and 49 million monthly users - this compares to 2 million new users that Twitter added during the same quarter.
Facebook said it had an average of 968 million daily active users in June, up 17 percent year-on-year. Its monthly active users rose by 13 percent to 1.49 billion.
Samsung has reported another set of disappointing quarterly results, with profits falling by 8 percent.
Profits were 5.75tn won (€4.55) - this was inline with the earning guidance which the company issued earlier in this month.
The company's smartphone business in particular has struggled as the iPhone 6 has dominated the top end of the market, and cheaper competitors have refined their mid-priced models.
In light of the "difficult business environment" the company now plans to adjust the price of its Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge phones.
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An interest rate hike in the US is one step closer after the Federal Reserve offered a positive assessment of the country's economy.
The Federal Open Market Committee's statement said, "The labour market continued to improve, with solid job gains and declining unemployment."
Previous statements have included the same line but with the word "somewhat" - its removal has been interpreted as a sign that the Fed believes that the US economy has turned a corner.
Analysts now believe that there is a 50 percent chance that interest rates will rise after the Committee's September meeting.
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A friend and former advisor to Brian Cowen - who also served as a director of Anglo Irish Bank - will give evidence at the Banking Inquiry this morning.
Fintan Drury will answer questions this morning, ahead of the bank's former chairman and CEO this afternoon.
Mr Drury is likely to be asked about Brian Cowen's claim that the health of the bank was not discussed at a golfing event, just months before the guarantee.
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Ulster Bank, one of the few retail banks in the country with no state shareholding – it was bailed out by its UK parent, Royal Bank of Scotland – has announced half year profits of £131m up from £55m at the same stage last year.
While the bank says new lending to business customers rose by nearly 60 percent during the six months to June and mortgage draw downs rose by 45 percent, at an accounting level, the increased profitability was fully driven by the bank’s write-back of bad debt reserves to the profit and loss account this year, while it was still adding to its bad debt reserves in 2014.
The bank also notes that it’s profitability in sterling terms was reduced by the weaker exchange rate against the euro, the currency in which its business in the Republic of Ireland is transacted.
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Diageo, which has just announced its financial results for the year to June, says sales of Guinness in Ireland rose by 2 percent during the year - this growth was supported by innovations such as the Brewer’ Project at St Jame’s Gate.
Net sales in spirits – principally whiskey, vodka and rum, were down 2 percent though due, the company says, to the impact of last year’s increase in government excise duty.
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The parent company of British Gas is to cut 10 percent of its workforce, 4,000 staff, as it moves to counter falling oil and gas prices.
While announcing its half-year results this morning, Centrica said it planned 6,000 job losses among staff and contractors but it would hire 2,000 new people.
The decision follows a strategic review of the business, which includes the country's largest household supplier of energy.
British Gas made an adjusted operating profit of £528m in the six months to 30 June - up 99 percent on the same period last year.
Additional reporting by IRN
