EU to pay over €0.5 billion to 110,499 farmers under BISS and CRISS schemes
Over half a billion euro is to be paid to Irish farmers in advance payments as part of two EU-funded income-support schemes in the coming days, the Minister for Agriculture has confirmed. Minister Martin Heydon said from tomorrow €510.9m in payments will be made to 110,499 farmers under the Basic Income Support for Sustainability (BISS) […]
Ifac: Corporation tax more reliant on manufacturing and ICT than previously thought
Official data may be understating the amount of corporation tax paid by the manufacturing and information and communications technology (ICT) sectors, according to the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council. Figures from the Revenue Commissioners show that around 70% of Ireland’s corporation tax revenues have come from just three broad sectors – manufacturing, ICT and financial and […]
More than a third of Irish workers failed to use all their annual leave last year – survey
Over a third of Irish people failed to make full use of their holiday entitlements last year, according to new research. It represents an overall improvement on the same study last year which found 42% of workers had failed to use all their annual leave. The findings are based on a survey of almost 2,000 […]
ICS Mortgages cut interest rate and fees for housing bridging loans
ICS Mortgages is to reduce the interest rates and fees across its Housing Bridging Loan products. From October 16, ICS said the rate on its housing bridging loans will reduce to 10% from 12% a year. Its arrangement fee will fall to 1% from 2%, while its exit fee will be reduced to 0% from […]
AI videos could turn people off social media – expert
The increased volume of AI-generated videos online could eventually turn people away from social media platforms, an expert has said. Social media platforms are embracing AI-generated content because it creates advertising revenue, according to Dr Constance de Saint Laurent, who is Assistant Professor of Sociotechnical Systems at Maynooth University, but added that it might not […]
Property prices grow at slowest annual pace in 17 months – CSO
Residential property prices grew by 7.4% in the year to August, the lowest rate since March last year and unchanged from the year to July, new figures from the Central Statistics Office show today. The CSO said that property prices outside of Dublin were 9.2% higher in August of this year compared to a year […]
Gold hits record high on US rate cut bets, silver follows suit
Gold prices climbed to a record high above $4,100 today on increased US Federal Reserve rate cut prospects, while resurgent US-China trade woes boosted safe-haven bets, including those for silver, which also reached an all-time peak. Spot gold rose 1.7% to a record high of $4,179.48 per ounce, early this morning. US gold futures for […]
What could burst the AI bubble?
Some of the world’s biggest tech firms have soared in value over the last year. As AI evolves at pace, there are hopes that it will improve lives in ways that people could never have imagined a decade ago – in sectors as diverse as healthcare, employment and scientific discovery. OpenAI is now worth US$500 […]
Building activity falls for fifth month in a row, including residential
Building activity, including residential construction, has declined for a fifth month in a row, a monthly survey by AIB has shown. The bank’s sampling of purchasing managers in the construction sector indicated there were falls across housing, commercial and civil engineering. The survey said that a continuing downturn in the sector had gathered pace in […]
Have the low-cost retailers fired the opening shots of a grocery price war?
On Friday, Lidl reduced the prices of its own-brand milk range, claiming to be the first grocery retailer in Ireland to cut the price of the product since 2023. It’s not a major reduction, one litre of Lidl’s milk is now 6c cheaper, with the price of a two litre container coming down by 10c. […]
Are you pretending to work? The slow demise of the corporate job
Analysis: A growing segment of the corporate workforce know their jobs make no real contribution and that what they do each day is meaningless There is an old Soviet joke that conveys the cynicism that helped sink their economy: “they pretend to pay us, and we pretend to work”. In a recent article, Alex McCann […]
Trump announces 100% tariff on US imports from China
US President Donald Trump revived the trade war against China yesterday, ending an uneasy truce between the two largest economies with promises to sharply hike tariffs in a reprisal against China curbing its critical mineral exports. The US president unveiled additional levies of 100% on China’s US-bound exports, along with new export controls on “any […]
Budget measures to result in small income losses next year – ESRI
The measures announced in Budget 2026 will result in small income losses next year, according to an analysis from the Economic and Social and Research Institute. In its post-Budget briefing, the ESRI said the losses will average 2% of household disposable income. The organisation said the withdrawal of temporary cost-of-living measures is “responsible for much […]
Annual inflation rises to 18-month high of 2.7% in September – CSO
New figures from the Central Statistics Office show that consumer price inflation rose to an 18-month high of 2.7% in September, up from 2% the previous month. That marks the highest that inflation has been since March 2024 when the rate of inflation was 2.9%. The CSO said the most significant increases in the 12 […]
ECB eyes keeping rates steady for now – minutes
The European Central Bank believes current interest rate levels are robust enough in “managing shocks”, minutes of its September meeting showed today, fuelling expectations of no further cuts for now. The ECB kept its key rate steady at 2% for a second meeting in a row last month, following several reductions, with inflation having settled […]
Housing asking price growth ‘softening’, report says
The pace of growth in asking prices for houses and apartments appears to be softening, according to the latest report from property website My Home in conjunction with Bank of Ireland. The report for the third quarter of 2025 said asking prices nationally are up 5.7% over the past year, rising by 4.8% in Dublin […]
Cost of petrol, diesel up as some Budget measures come into effect
Some Budget measures announced in the Dáil yesterday came into effect at midnight. Yesterday evening, TDs voted to reduce the VAT rate on the sale of completed apartments to 9% from 13.5%. Also from midnight, around two-and-a-half cent has been added to the cost of a litre of petrol and diesel, while tobacco products have […]
Gold zooms past $4,000 for first time in historic flight to safety
Gold raced past $4,000 an ounce for the first time today as investors piled into a historic rally in the safe-haven asset to hedge against global economic and geopolitical uncertainties, while also betting on US interest rate cuts. Spot gold was up 1.3% at $4,034.73 per ounce today, while US gold futures for December delivery […]