Goldman Sachs lowers odds of US recession to 20% from 25%
Goldman Sachs has lowered the odds of the United States slipping into a recession in the next 12 months to 20% from 25% following the latest weekly jobless claims and retail sales reports. Earlier this month, the brokerage raised the odds of a US recession from 15% after the unemployment rate jumped to a three-year […]
Hospitality was the sector with the biggest employment drop in June – CSO
The sector that recorded the largest decrease in employment in June was accommodation and food services, new data from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) shows. Amid claims from industry organisations of widespread closures of restaurants and cafes, employment in the sector fell by 1% in the month according to the CSO’s monthly estimates of payroll […]
Population growth exceeds new home delivery by almost 4 to 1
The growth in the Irish population between 2015 and 2023 exceeded the delivery of new homes by a ratio of nearly four to one, new research by property advisory Savills has found. Countries across the world are facing housing shortages, but Savills said its report demonstrates the extent to which Ireland is an outlier in […]
Oil prices set for weekly gains on renewed enthusiasm around US economy
Oil prices were set for a second straight week of gains despite edging lower today, as recent US economic data boosted optimism over demand from the world’s top oil consumer. Brent crude futures have risen about 1.3% this week, while US West Texas Intermediate crude futures have increased about 1.2%. On Friday, Brent fell 22 […]
ISME warns no justification for €1 rise in minimum wage
The small and medium sized business organisation ISME has said there would be no justification for a further increase in the national minimum wage of €1 in the budget. It follows a report in today’s Irish Independent that the Low Pay Commission has recommended increasing the basic pay rate to at least €13.70 next year. […]
€250m allocated to new round of Seed and Venture Capital Scheme
€250m has been allocated to a new round of the Government’s Seed and Venture Capital Scheme. The fund will run for four years from 2025 and will be administered by Enterprise Ireland. Its aim is to provide funding to early-stage Irish companies. “Access to finance through the Enterprise Ireland administered Seed and Venture Capital Scheme […]
Oil prices up on hopes of US rate cuts boosting fuel demand
Oil prices rose today, supported by optimism that potential US interest rate cuts will boost economic activity and fuel consumption though concerns over slower global demand curbed gains. Brent crude futures rose 19 cents, or 0.24%, to $79.95 a barrel by 0625 GMT, recovering some of the previous day’s losses. US West Texas Intermediate crude […]
Residential property prices rise 8.6% over year to June – CSO
Residential property prices rose by 8.6% nationally in the year to the end of June, new data from the Central Statistics Office shows. It is the highest rate of property price inflation recorded since October 2022. The monthly rate of increase continued to accelerate, with prices rising by 0.7% in June compared to 0.4% in […]
Property prices on course for 4.5% growth – estate agents
Estate agents expect property prices nationally to increase by an average of 4.5% over the next 12 months. That is up from an expectation of growth in prices of 1% in 2024 in a previous study carried out in January. The surveys were conducted by the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland – SCSI – among […]
Oil prices pause after five-day winning streak
Oil prices dipped today after five straight sessions of gains as OPEC’s move to cut its forecast for demand growth in 2024 tempered fears of supply risks posed by widening conflict in the Middle East. Benchmark Brent crude futures were down 98 cents, or 1.2%, at $81.32 a barrel as of 1323 GMT. US West […]
New EV sales fall 24% in first seven months of 2024
New electric car sales dropped 24% between January and July when compared to the same period last year, new data shows. The figures from the Central Statistics Office reveal that 12,765 new EVs were licensed during the seven month period. 14% of all new cars licensed for the first time were electric, compared with 18% […]
Oil retreats as markets refocus on demand concerns
Oil prices edged lower today, breaking a five-day streak of gains, as markets refocused on concerns about demand after OPEC on Monday cut its forecast for demand growth in 2024 due to softer expectations in China. Global benchmark Brent crude futures fell 57 cents, or 0.7%, to $81.73 a barrel at 0630 GMT. US West […]
Hotel and cinema trips drive higher spending in July
Spending in July jumped 7% on the previous month and 4% on the same time last year, new data from AIB shows. Spend in hotels was up 7% month-on-month, with spend highest among the 35 to 44 year old age group. A surge in cinema spend was driven by cooler than average weather in July. […]
NAMA pays €1.1m in redundancy as it winds down operations
The National Asset Management Agency paid out around €1.5 million last year in redundancy and garden leave payments as it continued to wind down its operations. The State’s bad bank said it had paid €1.1 million in redundancy to 16 different people, with payments ranging in size from less than €25,000 to up to €150,000. […]
Stabilisation in construction activity; signs of momentum ahead
There are renewed signs of momentum in the construction sector, the latest Purchasing Managers’ Index from BNP Paribas Real Estate Ireland indicates. Although activity in the sector registered at just below the 50 break-even point separating expansion from contraction in the month of July, there were encouraging signs in the report. The survey captured a […]
Third best July on record for wind generation in Ireland
Last month was the third best July on record for wind generation in Ireland, a new report shows. The data from Wind Energy Ireland shows that power generation in July reached 656 gigawatt-hours. Wind farms in Cork produced the most energy with 80 GWh, followed closely by Kerry at 66 GWh and Galway at 55 […]
Oil extends gains for fifth session
Oil prices rose for a fifth consecutive session today, extending gains from last week’s more than 3% rise, as US. recession fears eased while geopolitical tensions in the Middle East supported prices. Brent crude futures climbed 28 cents, or 0.4%, to $79.94 a barrel by 0635 GMT, while US West Texas Intermediate crude futures rose […]
Higher VAT rate for hospitality to remain – Minister
The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform has said the higher VAT rate for hospitality will remain, despite claims by the Restaurants Association of Ireland that hundreds of businesses are closing as a result. Paschal Donohoe said the lower 9% VAT rate, reintroduced during the Covid-19 pandemic, was only ever meant to be temporary. “I […]