US tightens crackdown on crypto with lawsuits against Coinbase, Binance
The top US securities regulator has sued cryptocurrency platform Coinbase, the second lawsuit in two days against a major crypto exchange. This marks a dramatic escalation of a crackdown on the industry and one that could dramatically transform a market that has largely operated outside regulation. The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Monday […]
Euro zone consumers hopeful of slowing inflation – ECB survey
Euro zone consumers lowered their inflation expectations, a fresh European Central Bank survey showed today, a relief for policymakers after an unexpected surge a month earlier, even if underlying price growth is still likely to be stubborn. The ECB has raised interest rates by a combined 375 basis points over the past year to arrest […]
Services sector growth slows in May – PMI
Growth in the services sector slowed slightly in May but new export business grew at its fastest rate since last summer and business expectations improved, a survey showed today. The AIB S&P Global Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) slipped to 57 from 58.4 in April. But it remained above the 50 mark separating growth from contraction […]
Increased Child Benefit payment being made this month to assist with cost of living
A once-off additional €100 in Child Benefit is being paid this month to help 650,000 families with the cost of living. The extra support means that €240 per child will be paid this month in respect of more than 1.2 million children. An additional €100 payment is also being made from this month for each […]
Slight fall in corporation tax in May
Corporation tax receipts dropped slightly in May according to the latest exchequer returns, underlining the volatile nature of this source of revenue. A total of €2.7 billion in tax was collected from businesses during the month, down €200m or 6.2% on the same month last year as higher repayments and lower profitability impacted returns. However, […]
Demand for new-build homes up 114%, Daft report shows
Demand for new-build homes jumped 114% in May when compared to the same month last year, according to new figures from property listings website Daft.ie. When all homes were taken into account, the data shows that demand nationwide was 17% higher than it was 12 months ago. Demand for homes in Dublin saw the strongest […]
Ireland is on course to miss 2030 climate targets, says EPA
Ireland is on course to miss its 2030 climate targets by a large margin unless all sectors, including agriculture, electricity and transport, rapidly deliver further emission reductions and sustain this delivery into the future, according to the latest report from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The EPA has analysed how far emissions would fall if […]
Euro zone inflation drops more than expected in relief for ECB
Euro zone inflation eased more than expected last month as underlying price growth also slowed, fuelling a debate about the need for further European Central Bank rate hikes beyond an increase later this month. Inflation in the 20 nations sharing the euro eased to 6.1% in May from 7% in April, below expectations for 6.3% […]
Government approves pay increase for employment support scheme staff
The Government has approved a 5% pay increase for more than 1,600 supervisors and team leaders of employment support schemes. The pay deal will benefit employees of organisations that manage Community Employment Schemes, Tús, the Rural Social Scheme and Job Initiative. The workers will see a pay increase of 3% from 1 April 2023, which […]
Home prices may slump in euro zone as rates rise – ECB
Home prices in the euro zone may be headed for a “disorderly” decline as high mortgage rates make purchases unaffordable for households and unattractive for investors, the European Central Bank said today. It was one of several risks flagged in the ECB’s Financial Stability Review (FSR) along with higher borrowing costs and slower growth hurting […]
Excise duty on fuel to increase from midnight
Motorists can expect to see a jump in the cost of petrol and diesel from midnight tonight as cuts to Government excise charges begin to reverse. Petrol prices will rise by six cent per litre, while diesel will go up by five cent. Agricultural diesel will also go up a cent. In March last year, […]
Engineering and construction roles among hardest to fill jobs – report
Engineering and construction related jobs are some of the hardest positions for employers to fill, according to a new report from hiring platform Indeed. The analysis looked at Irish job postings from 1 January to the end of April this year to determine which positions were most likely to remain open for over 60 days. […]
Euro zone lending growth slows again in April
Bank lending to euro zone companies and households slowed again in April, continuing the steady decline since last autumn as the economy stagnated and rapid rate hikes dented demand for credit. This is according to the latest European Central Bank data today. Lending to businesses in the 20 nation currency bloc expanded by 4.6% year […]
ECB warns of hit to top European banks if funds run into trouble
The euro zone’s top banks may take a hit if their financial clients, such as funds, insurers and clearing houses, withdrew their deposits or otherwise ran into trouble, the European Central Bank has warned. The ECB study looked into the risk of spillovers from so-called shadow banks – such as funds and other financial companies […]
Consumer confidence hit 14-month high this month
Consumer confidence here hit a 14-month high this month, as concerns eased about the economic outlook. Hopes for additional Government measures to offer some respite from price pressures may also have boosted sentiment, the Credit Union Consumer Sentiment Index suggests. Confidence continues to be fragile though, with a majority of consumers still feeling that the […]
Car sales push retail sales sharply higher again
The volume of annual retail sales rose sharply again last month due to another surge in car sales, jumping 7.5% on an annual basis, new figures from the Central Statistics Office show today. The volume of retail sales rose by 2.8% in the month The CSO said that when the increase in motor trades was […]
Gas generated 47% of electricity in April
Demand for gas fell by 10% in April compared to the same month last year, according to the latest figures from Gas Networks Ireland. Gas demand was also down 14% in April compared to March as several sectors required less energy during the month. Gas accounted for 47% of electricity generation in Ireland in the […]
Solar power due to overtake oil production investment for first time – IEA
Investment in clean energy will extend its lead over spending on fossil fuels in 2023, the International Energy Agency said today, with solar projects expected to outpace outlays on oil production for the first time. Annual investment in renewable energy is up by nearly a quarter since 2021 compared to a 15% rise for fossil […]