The European Central Bank left its €1.7 trillion ($1.9 trillion) stimulus unchanged at a policy meeting Thursday, brushing off concerns over economic shock waves from Britain’s vote to leave the European Union and disappointing investors expecting the ECB to act again soon, The Wall Street Journal reported. The decision to stand pat, even as new forecasts showed the ECB missing its inflation target for years, underlines how central banks are approaching the limits of what they can achieve without support from other policy areas, notably governments.

Bank of England governor Mark Carney has left open the possibility of further cuts in UK interest rates this autumn despite acknowledging the risk of recession had receded in the past month, the Financial Times reported. Mr Carney took credit for the bounce in August’s business and consumer surveys, telling MPs during a parliamentary hearing that part of the recovery in sentiment was “because the bank took timely, comprehensive and concrete action and that action has had an impact”.

Former minister for European affairs Lucinda Creighton has said the European Commission “does not have the authority” to rule Apple should pay €13 billion tax to Ireland and “of course” the Government should appeal, the Irish Times reported. Ms Creighton, who lost her seat in the general election in March and now runs a business consultancy company, told The Irish Times business podcast that the commission’s figure of €13 billion tax payable by Apple in Europe is incorrect.

Top British bankers will tell Chancellor Philip Hammond on Wednesday to give them a clearer idea of what the country's divorce from the European Union will mean for them when they hold their first meeting since the Brexit vote. Hammond is to meet with executives from major banks and insurers, including Barclays, HSBC, Standard Life Santander UK, the British arm of Spain's Banco Santander, according to sources.

Ireland should set targets for government debt that are lower than those required by the European Union, and based on measures that more accurately reflect the true size of its economy, the head of the country’s central bank said. In a letter to Minister of Finance Michael Noonan ahead of the publication of his budget for 2017 later this year and made public Monday, Philip Lane also warned against assuming a recent surge in tax revenue from U.S. companies based in Ireland would be sustained.

Like Alexander the Great whose sword cut the Gordian knot, Margrethe Vestager has sliced through what until now has appeared to be an intractable problem: multinational companies earning billions of dollars in Europe and paying tiny sums in taxes to European governments, The Wall Street Journal reported. The European Union’s competition chief ordered Ireland to recoup $14.5 billion in taxes from Apple Inc., a sum that is so large that it will light a fire under multinationals’ tax planning.

The cost of insuring Russian debt using credit-default swaps fell to a three-week low as tensions with Ukraine eased, offering relief from mounting political risk that had weighed on assets last month, Bloomberg News reported. Investors welcomed the diminished political strife and signs Russia is seeking to end its isolation under U.S. and European sanctions over Ukraine, said Piotr Matys, a currency strategist at Rabobank in London.

Finnish metal component maker Componenta is seeking debt restructuring after failing to get funding to cover mounting losses in its Netherlands subsidiary, it said on Thursday. Componenta, which makes cast components for vehicle and machine manufacturers, said it was filing for restructuring for the Finnish parent company and Swedish subsidiaries and the Dutch subsidiary was filing for bankruptcy. Its subsidiary in Turkey, Componenta Dokumculuk Ticaret , will continue operations after securing local financing.

Since Britain’s vote in June to quit the European Union, its government has promised repeatedly to make a success of withdrawal, known as Brexit, the International New York Times reported. More than two months later, however, it still cannot say how. On Wednesday, Prime Minister Theresa May called cabinet ministers to a brainstorming session about the withdrawal, pledging to examine “the next steps” for Britain and to identify “opportunities that are now open to us as we forge a new role” in the world.

Investors could be in line for a letdown from the European Central Bank next week, The Wall Street Journal repoted. A run of sluggish economic data—including stubbornly low inflation figures published Wednesday—and concerns about Britain’s vote to leave the European Union, have left many investors looking to Frankfurt for fresh stimulus. The ECB is set to hold its next policy meeting on Sept. 7 and 8. But some economists expect the ECB to keep its powder dry for another three months.