Rents rising nationally but marked slowdown in Dublin
Rents being sought for properties on the open market nationally are continuing to increase, but there has been a continued slowdown in the rate of increase in Dublin, according to the latest daft.ie Rental Report. Rents on the open market are now 8% higher that they were a year ago, with the average market rent […]
Construction sector activity slows for fourth month
Activity in the construction sector in Ireland slowed further last month. It is the fourth month in a row that activity has fallen. According to the BNP Paribas Real Estate Ireland Construction Total Activity Index, the pace of decline was solid and faster than that seen in September. A further reduction in activity on housing […]
Skills shortage, talent retention among key challenges for employers
Skills shortages and the retention of talent remain among the key challenges facing organisations, a survey of employers conducted by recruitment specialists, Hays Ireland, has concluded. Almost all of the firms surveyed – 94% – said they had faced skills shortages in 2023, up slightly from the 92% who gave the same response last year. […]
US Fed could hike rates again if ‘appropriate’ – Powell
The US Federal Reserve is prepared, if needed, to increase interest rates further in order to bring inflation down to its long-term 2% target, Fed Chair Jerome Powell has said. “We know that ongoing progress toward our 2% goal is not assured: Inflation has given us a few head fakes,” Powell told a conference in […]
DPC warned proposed new structures could slow inquiries
The Data Protection Commission (DPC) has warned the Government that new proposed structures for the organisation could slow down the pace of major data protection inquiries involving high-tech companies and other multinationals. In a pre-budget submission, the DPC said there “simply aren’t enough people” if plans for a new system of governance involving multiple committees […]
Annual production in manufacturing industries sinks 23% in Q3 – CSO
New figures from the Central Statistics Office show that production in manufacturing industries decreased by 22% in the third quarter of this year compared to the same second quarter. But the CSO said that production in manufacturing industries rose by 1.3% in September compared with August. Meanwhile, on an annual basis, production in manufacturing industries […]
Underlying inflation progress not enough, says ECB’s Lane
The European Central Bank is seeing some progress in its efforts to push down underlying inflation but this is not yet enough, ECB chief economist Philip Lane told a conference in Riga today. Professor Lane said he does not take a lot of comfort from the recent rapid fall in overall inflation because this is […]
Near 50% jump in value of car loans – BPFI
There has been a surge in the volume and value of car loans being issued here, according to the latest Personal Loans Report from Banking and Payments Federation Ireland. The report, which covers the three month period to the end of June, captured a year on year increase of 36% in the volume of car […]
‘Cautious optimism’ among Irish firms about their outlook – Eurochambers
A slight improvement in business sentiment has been captured in the latest European Economic Survey carried out on behalf of Eurochambres, of which Chambers Ireland is a member. The outlook among businesses in Ireland for the year ahead has been described as one of “cautious optimism” with the majority of firms putting the emphasis on […]
Tánaiste hopeful for decision on beef exports ‘within months’
Tánaiste Micheál Martin has said that he is hopeful that Chinese authorities will reach a decision on the resumption of Irish beef exports to China “within a matter of months”. Exports to China have been stopped after a case of atypical BSE was detected in a bovine animal in Ireland. Mr Martin, who is on […]
ECB must keep rates at or near 4% in 2024 to get inflation down – IMF
Rapid wage growth in the euro zone could keep inflation elevated longer and the European Central Bank should hold interest rates at or near record highs during next year to extinguish price pressures, the International Monetary Fund said today. The ECB broke a streak of ten rate hikes in a row last month, fuelling market […]
Underlying inflation progress not enough, says ECB’s Lane
The European Central Bank is seeing some progress in its efforts to push down underlying inflation but this is not yet enough, ECB chief economist Philip Lane told a conference in Riga today. Professor Lane said he does not take a lot of comfort from the recent rapid fall in overall inflation because this is […]
Competitiveness and costs top issues for manufacturers
Competitiveness and the cost of doing business in Ireland are among the top issues for the manufacturing sector, new data shows. However, the report by business group Ibec reveals that manufacturers are cautiously more optimistic about the business environment compared to last year. 67% of businesses surveyed said attracting and retaining talent was a major […]
Euro zone economy started Q4 on back foot, stoking recession fears – PMI
The downturn in euro zone business activity accelerated last month as demand in the dominant services industry weakened further, a survey showed today, suggesting there is a growing chance of a recession in the 20-country currency union. The economy contracted 0.1% in the third quarter, official data has shown, and today’s final Composite Purchasing Managers’ […]
Just 4% of top companies meet UN climate target guidelines – study
Half of the world’s 2,000 biggest listed companies have set a target to get to net-zero emissions by mid-century, but just a fraction meet tough United Nations guidelines for what constitutes a quality pledge, a report today shows. Net Zero Tracker, an independent data consortium including Oxford University, said corporate targets from Forbes2000 index companies […]
Value of output from agriculture to fall 8% this year, CSO figures show
The value of output from agriculture this year will be down 8% compared to 2022, according to the Central Statistics Office. The CSO says the decrease is mainly due to a drop in milk prices paid to farmers of 28%. The decrease masks estimated increases in prices paid to farmers in some sectors, with pig […]
Corporation tax take drops for third month in a row
The Exchequer recorded a deficit of €900m at the end of October, the latest figures from the Department of Finance show. The Exchequer returns, published this afternoon, also show a drop in corporation tax for the third month in a row. Corporation tax was just over €1bn lower, or 45% less, last month than the […]
Irish Entertainment & Media industry to grow 3.6% a year up to 2027
The Irish entertainment and media industry is to grow by an annual compound rate of 3.6% between now and 2027, a new report from PwC has predicted. That would see it valued at over €6.1 billion, up from €5.1 billion last year. PwC says the growth is largely due to increasing internet access – particularly […]