Cost of living and price of housing identified as key challenges
The cost of living and the price of housing are the key issues facing the economy and people’s personal finances, according to a survey by Permanent TSB (PTSB). PTSB published the latest edition of its Reflecting Ireland research series on Friday. The series polls public attitudes each quarter and includes recurring questions about how people […]
Inflation hitting low income, rural and older households harder – Central Bank
A new report from the Central Bank has found that lower income, older and rural households have faced a higher than average increase in the cost of living in recent months. This is because they spend a bigger proportion of their income on heating, energy and transport, all of which have gone up sharply in […]
Mortgage approvals down on December but up year-on-year – BPFI
Mortgage approvals fell in January when compared to the previous month, but were higher year-on-year, according to data from the Banking Payments Federation of Ireland. There were 3,621 mortgages approved last month, down 6.1% on December but 7.9% higher than in January 2021. The total value of the month’s approvals stood at €932m, which was […]
Majority in favour of flexible working arrangements: poll
Women, younger people and the lower paid are strongly in favour of more flexible working arrangements according to a poll carried out on behalf of the Labour Party. In a survey carried out by Ireland Thinks, 71% of respondents agreed that employees who can work remotely should have the right to do so. Some 81% […]
Housing supply falls to record low level – Sherry FitzGerald
New analysis shows that the country’s stock of houses available for sale is now at the lowest level on record. The analysis from Sherry FitzGerald shows there were only 14,400 second-hand properties listed for sale nationwide in January. The estate agents said this represents a 6.7% fall over the past twelve months, with over 1,000 […]
New rights for consumers on digital goods and services under new law
A new law strengthening consumer rights has been approved by the Government. The Consumer Rights Bill will provide protections over digital goods and services, meaning people will have the same rights over anything they stream or download as they do over a product or service they would buy in a shop. The legislation also cracks […]
Ireland’s national debt ‘one of the highest in the world’ on a per capita basis
The State took on an additional €33 billion in debt over the two years of the pandemic, according to a new report from the Department of Finance. The national debt stood at €237 billion at the end of last year. This equates to €47,233 for every person in the country and is described in the […]
Doherty calls for new EU ‘fiscal standards’
Sinn Féin’s spokesman on finance Pearse Doherty has said the EU’s fiscal rules need to be replaced by “fiscal standards” which would allow for investment in areas like housing as well as the environment. The fiscal rules were suspended during the pandemic but are due to be reintroduced next year. There is currently a broad […]
Credit unions want bigger chunk of mortgage market
The Irish League of Credit Unions has called on the Minister with Responsibility for Credit Unions, Sean Fleming, to make the necessary regulatory changes to enable credit unions to significantly increase their footprint in the mortgage market. In a statement, the Irish League of Credit Unions said credit unions would like to be in a […]
Gas demand up over 10% in January – GNI
Demand for gas in January was up almost 11% on December’s levels, according to Gas Networks Ireland’s latest gas demand statement. A drop in temperatures and the return of people to schools and offices after the Christmas holidays accounted for much of the increase. Demand was so strong that three days during January were among […]
Jobseekers in the driving seat as labour market tightens
The jobs market is largely cyclical. Highly dependent on the ebb and flow of economic prosperity, the situation generally swings from being in the applicant’s favour to that of the employer. Right now, it’s very much to the former’s advantage. With an economy that has weathered the Covid pandemic better than most had predicted, the […]
Office vacancy rate could move above 10% this year – BNP Paribas Real Estate
The vacancy rate in the Dublin office market stood at 10% last year and could edge higher this year, a report from consultants BNP Paribas Real Estate Ireland concludes. 2021 was the weakest year for lettings since 2012, the report found. But the rise in the vacancy rate was contained by relatively modest levels of […]
Land deals of close to €650m struck in 2021 – report
Land deals to the value of €648 million were transacted in 2021, representing growth of 11% on the previous year, a report from property consultants Savills Ireland concluded. Demand for land in prime areas with planning permission in place was described as ‘very strong’, attracting significant bids. Sites without permission have also been performing well, […]
Inflation down to 5% after first monthly drop since 2020
Annual inflation eased to 5% in January from a 20-year high of 5.5% in December after a 0.4% month on month fall marked the first monthly drop in consumer prices for over a year, the latest figures from the Central Statistics Office show today. Prices have been rising on an annual basis since April 2021, […]
Number of people in employment exceeds 2.5 million – CSO
The number of people employed in Ireland increased by 10.1% to just over 2.5 million in the year to the fourth quarter of 2021, according to the latest figures from the Central Statistics Office. It the first time the number has exceeded 2.5 million since the CSO data series began. The Labour Force Survey also […]
EU ‘not overly alarmed’ at growing use of crypto-assets
The EU is not overly alarmed at the growing use of crypto-assets, the EU Commissioner for financial services, financial stability and Capital Markets Union has said. But Mairead McGuinness also warned that any new financial instrument that is growing and unregulated can cause enormous problems if “we don’t get to grips with it”. Earlier this […]
Annual home price growth hits 14.4%, highest level in six years – CSO
Residential property prices rose by 14.4% on an annual basis in December, new figures from the Central Statistics Office show. This was up slightly on the 14% annual rate recorded in November and marked the highest annual growth in over six years. Today’s figures show that residential property prices in Dublin rose by 13.1%, while […]
85% jump in online and mobile payments since 2016
131 million online and mobile payments were made in 2021, up 85% on 2016 levels. New figures from Banking and Payments Federation Ireland confirm that digital payments are continuing to rise rapidly, as consumers further reduce their reliance on cash and cheques. The number of digital payments made last year increased by over 10% compared […]