WHO BUYS BUPA The Bupa saga descended further into farce when it was reported AXA was in talks to take over Bupa's business as it exits the market. This even prompted Mary Harney to demand that Bupa facilitate an orderly transfer of its business. Only problem was, Bupa denied it was talking to anybody. By end of week Harney said another Irish company had expressed an interest in getting into the business but would not say who.

BLIGHTY BANKING BLOCKBUSTER The Bank of England stunned the "nancial world by boosting interest rates to 5.25%, in a move that just about every economist in the English-speaking world had ruled out. It came the same day the European Central Bank not only chose to not raise rates above their current 3.5% but ruled out an expected hike in Februrary.

CIDER HOUSE BLUES C&C shares tanked Thursday, giving up 10% of their value when Merrion Stockbrokers shocked the market by slashing earnings estimates for 2007 by 2.5% and by 8.7% for 2008, then dropping the stock from its model portfolio for good measure. The subsequent freefall of Euro1.43 to Euro11.87 was its biggest-ever one-day decline. All because cider over ice is apparently a seasonal drink. And no one "gured this out before.