Tom McEnaney

And we have lots coming up between now and seven o'clock, including HR horror stories and News Talk's Green Person of the Month.

First, let's have a look at the newspapers before we're joined by Aidan Donnelly, Head of Global Equities at Davie Stockbrokers.

All of the newspapers this morning are focused on the impending sale of permanent ESB, with much of the focus being on how much the government will lose from the sale.

The Irish independent columnist, Martina Devlin, who co-authored the book Banksters about Irish banks during the crisis, suggests the loss could be as great as 400 million euros.

Ms Devlin writes, Ireland's 57% stake in PTSB might net

€860 million when the bank sells, in addition to the €2.75 billion already returned to the state.

Come what may, there will be a shortfall.

The likelihood is that we will be around €400 million adrift in our investment, made at gunpoint following the financial crisis.

The billions for PTSB, part of a €64 billion package for the zombie Irish banking sector, had to be scraped up

prized out, borrowed at steep interest rates and amassed with extreme difficulty.

Over in the Irish Times, its market correspondent, Joe Brennan, puts the expected loss at a mere €300 million in a lead story that focuses mainly on concerns that the new owner will cut branches and jobs in what is the Republic's least cost-efficient bank.

Mr. Brennan writes that the bank's forecast 525 million running costs for this year will equate to more than 75% of its income.

And that compares to figures of below 50% at AIB and at Bank of Ireland.

Now, as I mentioned earlier on, we're joined for the markets by Aidan Donnelly, head of global equities at Davies Stockbrokers.

Good morning, Aidan.

Morning, Tom.

How are you?

I'm not too bad.

Now, I know I can't talk to you about permanent TSP because Davie Stockbrokers is advising permanent TSP.

But there is plenty more going on in the markets.