Hotels almost sold out for St Patrick’s weekend despite high prices
Hotel rooms in Dublin city are almost completely sold out ahead of St Patrick’s Day, with rooms also in demand for the Six Nations championship and Mother’s Day the same weekend. The Irish Hotel’s Federation (IHF) said there is only approximately 1% availability left, while room prices in the capital have jumped by 18% over […]
Irish mortgage rates increase in January after ECB hikes
Mortgage rates went up in January reflecting some of the effect of successive interest rate rises from the European Central Bank. New data from the Central Bank also shows an average gap between the variable rates charged by the main banks and non-bank lenders of just over 1%. The average interest rate on new mortgages […]
Warning issued about serious rise in investment scams
Consumers have been warned of a serious rise in highly convincing investment scams that are being carried out by fraudsters. The scams are particularly targeted at those over the age of 55, with a minimum investment of €20,000 or more. The FraudSMART awareness initiative from the Banking and Payments Federation Ireland (BPFI) says the scams […]
Households saving rate stays high at 20% in Q4 – CSO
New figures from the Central Statistics Office show that households’ saving remained high during the last three months of 2022. The CSO said the Households Saving Rate stood at 20% in the fourth quarter of 2022 as people continued the higher rate of saving begun during the Covid pandemic. Before adjusting for seasonality or inflation, […]
23% of consumers struggling with higher grocery prices
Nearly a quarter of consumers are struggling to make ends meet due to rising grocery prices, according to research conducted on behalf of Love Irish Food. The study, carried out by Kantar, found that 23% of consumers are facing difficulties in covering the cost of shopping due to the jump in prices in the past […]
US and EU to begin talks on free-trade-like status
US President Joe Biden and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen are expected to agree to begin negotiations on ensuring free-trade agreement-like status for the European Union, according to sources. The leaders are set to meet in Washington tomorrow. Reuters reported last week that the United States and EU were working to make European […]
Central Bank forecasts inflation to fall to 5% this year
Inflation is forecast to fall to 5% this year and household incomes are expected to improve, according to the Central Bank. In its latest Quarterly Bulletin, the bank expects the domestic economy to grow by just over 3% this year. It thinks inflation will be lower this year, due to falling energy prices, and expects […]
Temporary changes to how BIK is charged on company cars and vans
The Government has announced temporary changes to how Benefit-in-Kind (BIK) is charged on company cars and vans, after complaints that reforms introduced at the start of the year were leading to big increases in tax bills for those driving them. The changes that took effect from January 1st saw a shift to a new BIK […]
1 in 12 private vehicles in Ireland are uninsured – MIBI
The Motor Insurers’ Bureau of Ireland (MIBI) will tell an Oireachtas committee later today that Ireland may now have the highest level of uninsured vehicles in the EU. The MIBI said the level of uninsured vehicles here is now three times that of the UK and four times that found across the EU and EEA. […]
87% of women feel more burnt-out at work since pandemic
The survey was carried out among 1,000 women and men across Ireland, with the findings published today to mark International Women’s Day. The data suggests that maintaining work-life balance post-pandemic is proving harder for women. Overall, three-quarters of those surveyed said demands on their personal time and daily routine at work have changed since the […]
Rising costs set to impact summer holiday plans for most
74% of Irish consumers expect rising costs to impact their summer holiday plans for this year, according to new research by global tech company Wise. When respondents factored in travel, accommodation and general spending, they expect to spend on average €2,800. Half of those surveyed plan to use their savings to pay for their trip, […]
More work needed on women moving into senior leadership roles
Listed companies here have on average 32% female representation at board level, new figures from the Balance for Better Business Review Group show. For the first time, Ireland is included in the list of top 10 countries in the EU for female board representation. However, the pace of progress in achieving gender balance at the […]
Grocery price inflation hits new record high of 16.4%
Shoppers spent an additional €113.56 per buyer in the 12 weeks to February 19 compared with the same time last year, new figures from Kantar show today. The increase comes as grocery price inflation hit a new record high of 16.4% in the latest 12 week period, up from a rate of 2.4% the same […]
Local Enterprise Week kicks takes place against challenging commercial backdrop
Up to 10,000 business people, and those hoping to establish a business, are expected to take part in more than 300 events over the coming days to mark Local Enterprise Week. The events are being organised by the network of Local Enterprise Offices around the country, which provide advice, information and support to individuals setting […]
Energy rating an important consideration for prospective house buyers – MyHome study
Energy concerns are to the fore among prospective house buyers, a new survey suggests, as the cost-of-living squeeze continues to bite. The property website MyHome.ie sought the views of over 2,500 people for its study which was conducted in late February. Three quarters of perspective homebuyers said they were more inclined to consider a property’s […]
Is the market bounce of 2023 fading rapidly?
2022 was a pretty dismal year for equity markets. Having kicked January off at all-time highs, stock valuations rapidly went south as inflation precipitated a round of interest rate increases, the likes of which hadn’t been seen in decades. On top of that, the outbreak of war in Ukraine contributed to an economic outlook that […]
Growth in service sector picks up in February
The latest AIB Services Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) reveals that growth in the country’s service sector picked up in February. The business activity index rose to 58.2 last month, from 54.1 in January. Readings above 50 indicate overall growth in activity. “This is the highest reading since May and points to a robust rate of […]
More than a third of employees feel invisible or under-appreciated at work
More than one third of employees in Ireland feel invisible or under-appreciated at work, according to a new survey. The Workhuman Human Workplace Index found that almost half of employees feel stressed at work. The findings are being published to mark Employee Appreciation Day. Over a quarter of workers surveyed said they plan to leave […]