New home completions in third quarter up 4% on last year – CSO
The number of new homes built in July, August and September of this year was 9,235, a rise of 4% on the same period last year, according to the Central Statistics Office. Apartments were up 3%, homes in estates increased by 1% and one-off houses rose by 15%. Over a third of completions, or 36%, […]
Mortgage drawdowns hit almost €4 billion in third quarter – BPFI
The number of mortgages drawn down during the third quarter of the year increased by 7.7% compared to the same time in 2024, new figures from Banking and Payments Federation Ireland show today. The value of those mortgages also increased, rising by 16.6% year-on-year. In its latest report, Banking and Payments Federation Ireland said a […]
Bank of Ireland upgrades Irish economic forecast
Bank of Ireland has revised upwards its forecast for growth for the economy. It comes after a similar move by Goodbody Stockbrokers earlier this week. Bank of Ireand predicts the domestic economy will expand by 3.4% this year and 2.6% in 2026. It estimates Gross Domestic Product, which includes impact of multinationals, will be 10.7% […]
Nearly 1 in 4 employers expect to increase hiring in 2026 – survey
Almost one in four employers expect to increase hiring in 2026 according to research from hiring platform IrishJobs. Its Hiring Trends Update shows that large enterprises have the most positive outlook on future hiring, with 27% of these firms expected to increase recruitment over the coming months. The research gathered insights from 500 employers and […]
Is gold or bitcoin the better investment?
Analysis: Gold and Bitcoin are fundamentally different in what gives them value, how that value goes up over time, and how resilient it is When people compare gold and bitcoin, they often treat them as two sides of the same coin: modern “digital gold” vs. ancient “metallic gold”, but this is a misleading parallel. Gold […]
Best September on record for Irish wind farms – Wind Energy Ireland
New figures show that wind generation in Ireland was the highest on record for a September month. This is according to Wind Energy Ireland, which published its monthly wind energy report as Ireland’s Wind Energy Expo 2025 continues in the RDS in Dublin. Wind Energy Ireland said that wind energy provided 35% of the country’s […]
Economy to grow faster than expected this year – Goodbody
The Irish economy will grow faster than anticipated this year as impact of US tariffs will not be as damaging as feared and the country “dodged a bullet” on US corporation tax changes, according to a new report by Goodbody Stockbrokers. Due to the strong jobs market and a rising population, the domestic economy will […]
Majority of companies not planning to increase in-office days – survey
Almost two-thirds of HR professionals say their companies are not actively considering increasing onsite attendance in 2026, according to a new survey from business group Ibec. The HR Update Report shows that the hybrid model of three days on-site remains the dominant working arrangement, favoured by 31% of respondents. It is closely followed by full-time […]
Gold prices retreat after record surge
Gold prices fell over 4% today, as the dollar firmed and investors booked profits after expectations of US interest rate cuts and sustained safe-haven demand drove the yellow metal to a fresh record high in the previous session. Spot gold fell 4.1% to a nearly one-week low at $4,178.23 per ounce, as of 1358 GMT, […]
Social Finance Foundation reaches €260 million lending milestone
A non-profit body that provides loan finance for community organisations has reached a lending milestone of more than €260 million. Since it was established in 2007, the Social Finance Foundation (SFF) has provided loans to 2,200 projects across the country. The average loan value to each of the organisations was €119,000. The funding is provided […]
Internet services cut for hours by Amazon cloud outage
Popular internet services, from streaming platforms to messaging services to banking, were offline for hours toda due to an outage in Amazon’s crucial cloud network, spotlighting how dependent internet life has become on the tech titan. A huge spike in disruption logged at Downdetector early Monday was followed by an even bigger jump some nine […]
New mortgage product launched by credit unions
A new standard mortgage product has been launched by credit unions aimed at new home buyers and switchers. Mortgages have been available through some credit unions around the country, but until today, each credit union set its own interest rate at a local level. The ‘Credit Union Mortgage’ offers a single variable interest rate of […]
The digital euro: Benefits and pitfalls of tapping ECB cash
Could the digital euro be a reality within four years? There is certainly momentum building, even if consumers remain sceptical. The motivation reflects the growing digitalisation of payments, but also a deeper concern about European dependence on US giants Visa and Mastercard given the unpredictability – not to say economic hostility – of the Trump […]
Bank of Ireland raises motor finance scandal provision to €400m
Bank of Ireland has more than doubled to £350m (€400m) the amount it had set aside to compensate customers for a motor finance mis-selling scandal in the UK. This follows the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority’s consultation paper published on October 7 on the industry-wide commission arrangement between car dealers and lenders – which led to […]
China’s Q3 GDP growth slows to one-year low in test of long-term policy plans
China’s economic growth slowed to the weakest pace in a year in the third quarter as fragile domestic demand left it heavily reliant on manufacturing production and exports, stoking concerns about deepening structural imbalances. The economy’s overreliance on exports at a time of mounting trade tensions with Washington is also raising questions over whether Beijing […]
40% rise in fraudulent payments in Ireland
There was a 40% rise in the volume of fraudulent payments last year compared to 2023, according to the Central Bank’s Payment Fraud Statistics for 2024. The figures show the total value of fraudulent payments in Ireland increased to €160 million in 2024 – up nearly 25% from the previous year. The growth is predominantly […]
Minister for Finance publishes Finance Bill
The Minister for Finance has published the Finance Bill which implements the tax changes announced on Budget Day, as well as introducing some administrative and technical changes to the tax code. The 142 page document provides for amendments relating to the rate of VAT applying to the hospitality and hairdressing sectors, the Automatic Enrolment Retirement […]
Fed rate-cut bets drive gold to new record highs
Gold hit a record high for the fourth straight session today, as investors flocked to the safe-haven metal on brewing US-China trade tensions and the US government shutdown, with bets on interest rate cuts fuelling the momentum. Spot gold was up 1.4% at $4,264.63 per ounce as of 1506 GMT after bullion touched a record […]