Budget day left the markets and the rest of us scratching our heads 

Budget 2017 fell flat on many fronts. Minor tax cuts for employees through reductions in the lower bands of the universal social charge, €5 a week across the board rises in social welfare payments, plus increases in spending for most government departments. Not a whole lot to set the heart racing, which was the same reaction of the bond market and the Irish Stock Exchange to Minister for Finance Michael Noonan’s sixth budget.