Commercial construction cost inflation flat in first half
Commercial construction inflation was 1.5% in the first half of the year, the same rate as the six months before that. It means that the annual median national rate of commercial construction inflation for the year to June was 3%. That’s more than of the half the rate of 6.2% recorded in the previous 12 […]
Vessels at main Irish ports down 5% in first quarter – CSO
New figures from the Central Statistics Office show that Irish ports handled 12.1 million tonnes of goods in the first quarter of this year, an increase of 2% compared with the same time last year. The CSO said that goods forwarded from Irish ports amounted to 3.8 million tonnes during January, February and March, while […]
Consumer sentiment hits 2 1/2 year high in July
The consumer mood has risen to its highest level in two and a half years, according to the latest Credit Union consumer sentiment index. Easing cost-of-living concerns and continued improvements in the economy have boosted consumers’ attitudes, according to the survey. That led to an across-the-board pick up in the index’s readings. Consumers were more […]
Number of homes bought by non-household entities falls by almost 10% last year
New figures from the Central Statistics Office show that non-household entities bought a total of 12,201 homes at market prices last year, a decrease of 9.8% on the 13,522 purchases made by this group in 2022. Non-household entities are private companies, charitable organisations and state institutions. The CSO said the total value of the purchases […]
Banks under pressure to improve deposit rates
Pressure was coming to bear on the banks this time last year to offer better returns to depositors against the backdrop of rising interest rates. They did respond with better offerings but consumers have to be willing to set their money aside for a few years in order to avail of the better rates. Most […]
Govt must do more to ensure Ireland remains competitive, watchdog warns
Ireland’s competitiveness watchdog has warned that the Government needs to do more to address significant longstanding challenges to securing the country’s ability to remain competitive into the medium to long-term, particularly in relation to infrastructure. In its flagship annual piece of research, Ireland’s Competitiveness Challenge 2024, the council said that while compared to other EU […]
Euro zone business growth stalls in July, PMIs show
Growth in euro zone business activity stalled this month as a tepid expansion in the bloc’s dominant services industry failed to offset a deeper downturn among manufacturers, a survey showed today. HCOB’s preliminary composite Purchasing Managers’ Index, compiled by S&P Global, dropped to 50.1 this month from June’s 50.9. This was barely above the 50 […]
Indexing personal tax system would cost €1 billion a year, strategy paper shows
Indexing the entire personal tax system to ensure workers’ rising wages are not eroded by an additional tax burden could cost the exchequer over €1 billion a year. That is according to a paper from the Department of Finance’s Tax Strategy Group (TSG), which outlines the possible cost of potential income tax changes ahead of […]
9% VAT rate for tourism and hospitality unjustified according to Department of Finance
The Department of Finance believes reinstating the 9% VAT rate for tourism and hospitality businesses remains “unjustified”. In a report on VAT, the department’s Tax Strategy Group said the opposition to the measure is based on the cost being very significant. “For instance the cost of a further temporary VAT reduction to 9% for a […]
ECB’s de Guindos says new data to help reassess monetary policy stance in September
European Central Bank vice-president Luis de Guindos hinted at a possible interest rate cut in September, singling out the ECB’s new projections as the “most important” factor in determining whether inflation is falling back to target. The ECB left rates on hold last week but President Christine Lagarde said its next meeting in September was […]
Grocery price inflation edges up in July after 15 months of falls
Grocery inflation in the 12 weeks to July 7 saw a marginal gain after falling for 15 months in a row, new figures from Kantar show today. Grocery inflation now stands at 2.6%, a small increase of 0.14 points over the last month but down 11.8 points compared to the same time last year. Kantar […]
Revenue fixes problems with online tax return form
Revenue has told accountants and self-assessed taxpayers that it has fixed problems with its online tax return form that were creating difficulties for those filing, but that it will be another week before others are resolved. Chartered Accountants Ireland (CAI) has told members that Revenue has notified it that an issue regarding the 3% USC […]
Job vacancies steadied in second quarter of year
The number of job vacancies remained unchanged in the second quarter of 2024, the first time in two years there was no quarterly decline in vacancies. Hiring platform IrishJobs has today published its Jobs Index for the last three months which it said showed signs of a positive trajectory in the jobs market amid steadier […]
ECB’s Villeroy says market expectations for future ECB rate cuts ‘reasonable’
Market expectations for the path of future interest rate cuts by the European Central Bank are “rather reasonable,” ECB policymaker Francois Villeroy de Galhau said in an interview on French radio BFM Business today. The ECB kept interest rates unchanged yesterday, as expected, but said September’s meeting was “wide open”. “Market expectations for the path […]
ISIF announces €229m of investments to accelerate delivery of new homes
The Ireland Strategic Investment Fund (ISIF), part of the National Treasury Management Agency (NTMA) has announced the completion of four investment commitments totalling €229m aimed at accelerating the delivery of new homes in Ireland. The new homes will be delivered for a mix of owner-occupiers, renters, students and people who need social housing. The four […]
ECB keeps rates unchanged, offers no guidance on next move
The European Central Bank kept interest rates unchanged as expected today, with its president Christine Lagarde saying a move in September was “wide open”. The ECB cut rates from record highs last month in a move that even some of its policymakers considered rushed after progress on lowering inflation to its 2% target stalled. With […]
Over one million domestic holidays taken last year, up 8%
The domestic tourism market grew strongly in 2023 with over 14.3 million trips taken by Irish holidaymakers which generated €3.1 billion for the economy. New figures from Fáilte Ireland show over one million extra domestic holidays were taken by Irish people in 2023, an annual increase of 8%. Related expenditure was also up by 6.5% […]
Flights delayed and airports impacted by tech outages
Airports and airlines across Europe are experiencing technical issues as media companies, banks and telecom firms around the world also reported that system outages were disrupting their operations. Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport, one of Europe’s busiest hubs, is also being affected by a cyber outage, a spokesperson confirmed. “The outage has an impact on flights flying […]