Taoiseach to pitch Trump on ‘two-way street’ of US-Irish investment
Taoiseach Micheál Martin will tell US President Donald Trump that there is a “two-way street” of investment between the US and Ireland, as a trade imbalance between the two countries looms over their upcoming bilateral meeting. Mr Trump will host the Taoiseach in the Oval Office of the White House tomorrow as part of the […]
Employment in construction down in February
Employment fell in the construction sector last month, ending a five-month period of jobs growth. The AIB Ireland Construction PMI report in February shows staffing levels were scaled back midway through the opening quarter of the year. It comes at a time when there are significant concerns over housing output, with CSO figures showing there […]
Almost three-quarters of workers aspire to retire by age 60 or sooner
Almost three-quarters of Ireland’s working population would like to retire by age 60 or sooner, according to new research. The latest Retirement Aspirations survey commissioned by pension company Royal London Ireland, shows that four in ten respondents would like to retire by the age of 50 or even sooner if they could. 7% of those […]
Airport strike to all but freeze German air travel today
More than half a million people are facing travel disruption at German airports today where a 24-hour strike has led to thousands of flight cancellations in a dispute about workers’ pay. The operator of Frankfurt airport, Germany’s busiest, said no passenger flights would depart from there today, with delays and cancellations also possible tomorrow. Of […]
More than 70% of Irish adults targeted by scam communications monthly – research
More than three quarters (78%) of Irish adults are being targeted with scam text messages, emails, phone calls or online content at least once a month, according to new research by the Banking & Payments Federation of Ireland’s FraudSmart initiative. The survey of 1,000 people found mobile phones were the main channel for scam communications, […]
Euro zone 2024 economic growth revised up to 0.9%
The euro zone economy grew by 0.9% in 2024, revised data showed today, higher than a previous estimate of 0.7%. The EU’s official statistics agency also revised growth for the fourth quarter of 2024 for the second time to 0.2% in the 20-country single currency area, from 0.1% estimated in February. Eurostat in January had […]
Steady growth in mortgage approvals continued in January – BPFI
January saw the first year-on-year decline in first-time buyer approval volumes since June 2024, new figures from Banking & Payments Federation Ireland show today. Today’s figures show that a total of 3,395 mortgages were approved in January 2025, down by 5.5% on a monthly basis but up by 4.1% compared to the same time last […]
Trump signs order to establish strategic bitcoin reserve
US President Donald Trump yesterday signed an executive order to establish a strategic bitcoin reserve, a day before meeting with executives from the cryptocurrency industry at the White House. The reserve will be capitalised with bitcoin owned by the federal government that was forfeited as part of criminal or civil asset forfeiture proceedings, the White […]
Domestic economy posts ‘healthy’ growth of 2.7% in 2024 – CSO
The domestic economy grew by a healthy 2.7% last year, according to the latest figures from the Central Statistics Office. Gross Domestic Product, which includes the multinationals activity, rose by 1.2% in 2024. Personal spending on goods and services, a key indicator of the domestic economy rose 2.3%, while wages grew by 2.9%. Modified investment […]
People look to new backup power sources after Storm Éowyn
The damage wreaked by Storm Éowyn in January has caused many home and business owners to look at other sources of backup power for the next big storm. The most popular choice is a petrol or diesel generator. Both Government and opposition politicians have called for a supply of generators to be set up and […]
Govt ‘scenario planning’ for effects of US tariffs on EU
The Government is scenario planning for effects of tariffs being imposed on goods from Ireland by the Trump administration, according to the Minister for Public Expenditure Jack Chambers. He said the planning included looking at the consequences on “businesses, consumers and the broader economy”. Minister Chambers said tariffs “would impose serious costs on Irish citizens […]
Tax receipts in year to February up 12% on last year
Tax receipts in the first two months of this year are up 12% on the same time in 2024, indicating that the economy continues to power ahead. In addition, the State’s coffers benefitted from a €1.7 billion payment which was part of a settlement made by Apple. The payment related to the Court of Justice […]
Services growth eases slightly in February, PMI show
Growth in the country’s services sector eased slightly in February, with both total activity and new business expanding at the weakest rate for more than a year, a survey showed today. The AIB Global S&P Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) fell to 53.2 from 53.4 in January. The index has been above the 50 mark that […]
Irish companies warned to prepare for possible US tariffs
The Irish Exporters Association has warned companies to prepare for the possibility of tariffs being imposed on exports from the EU to the US. The CEO of the Irish Exporters Association Simon McKeever said: “People need to take this seriously. Any idea that Donald Trump is not going ahead with tariffs is a misconception.” “People […]
No sign of increased house or apartment building
New figures from the Central Statistic Office show there is no sign of an increase in the building of houses and apartments. Residential construction declined by 0.1% in the final three months of last year compared to the same period in 2023. The latest data from the CSO monitors ongoing building work and differs from […]
Inflation at 1.3% in February, CSO’s flash estimate shows
Consumer prices rose by 1.3% year-on-year in February compared to a 1.5% rise a month earlier, a flash estimate of the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices from the Central Statistisc Office show. The CSO said that energy prices are estimated to have risen by 0.7% in the month and decreased by 2.5% over the 12 […]
Taoiseach to raise US tariffs during White House meeting
Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said he will tell US President Donald Trump that tariffs could cause damage to a “small open economy” like Ireland when the two men meet in Washington next month. Speaking to reporters in Dublin, Mr Martin said that he “will give our perspective” on the issue at the White House on […]
Retail sales down 0.5% on a monthly basis in January – CSO
Retail sales fell by 0.5% month-on-month in January and by 0.3% year-on-year, new figures from the Central Statistics Office show today. The CSO said that excluding car sales, the monthly volume of retail sales was down by 1.5% in January from the previous month and was down 0.3% in the year when compared with January […]