Author: Practicenet

Mortgage approvals rise by 10% in May year on year

Mortgage approvals rise by 10% in May year on year Almost 5,000 mortgages to the value of over €1.1 billion were approved in May, the latest figures from Banking and Payments Federation Ireland show. Over 51% of these were for first-time buyers while mover purchasers accounted for 26.3%. Today’s figures show that the volume of […]

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Irish pension funds diversify amid uncertain outlook

Irish pension funds diversify amid uncertain outlook Pension funds here have lowered their exposure and diversified into property, infrastructure and hedge funds according to a new report from Mercer. The survey of 876 institutional investors across 12 countries managing assets of around €1 trillion found average equity allocations for Irish defined benefit schemes have fallen […]

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Crude oil prices fall 1% on fears for global economy

Crude oil prices fall 1% on fears for global economy Brent oil ticked higher today, supported by tensions over Iran and the decision by OPEC and its allies to extend a supply cut deal until next year, while US benchmark crude prices fell on weak economic indicators. Brent was up 53 cents at $63.83 per […]

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Bills going up for nearly 100,000 non-domestic Irish Water customers

Bills going up for nearly 100,000 non-domestic Irish Water customers Almost 100,000 non-domestic customers of Irish Water are set to see their fresh water and waste water bills rise. The move follows a decision by the Commission for the Regulation of Utilities (CRU) on new tariffs following a restructuring of the charging regime. The increases […]

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France issues first 10-year bond at negative interest rate

France issues first 10-year bond at negative interest rate France issued its first-ever 10-year bond at a negative borrowing rate today, meaning investors pay, rather than receive, interest for the privilege of owning French sovereign debt, the state debt management agency AFT said. AFT said that it issued €9.996 billion in long-term bonds, with just […]

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Injury awards driving up insurance prices – insurers

Injury awards driving up insurance prices – insurers Insurance premiums will fall if the cost of claims in Ireland falls, insurance companies have been telling the Oireachtas Finance committee. The Chief Executive of Allianz, Sean McGrath, said the single biggest issue facing the cost of claims is getting the high level of injury awards under […]

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US threatens tariffs on EU cheese, pork and whiskey

US threatens tariffs on EU cheese, pork and whiskey The US is threatening tariffs on $4bn worth of additional EU goods – including Irish whiskey – in a long-running dispute over aircraft subsidies. This is in addition to tariffs placed on European Union goods in April. The list also includes sausages, hams, pasta, olives and […]

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Services sector makes up for weak manufacturing activity – PMI

Services sector makes up for weak manufacturing activity – PMI The country’s services sector continued to grow sharply in June, according to a new survey. The growth more than made up for weak manufacturing activity, which shrank for the first time in six years over the same time. The AIB Services Purchasing Managers’ Index stood […]

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19 new Rent Pressure Zones across 11 counties

19 new Rent Pressure Zones across 11 counties There are 19 new locations designated as Rent Pressure Zones following a change in the criteria. The announcement of the additional RPZs takes effect from today, following reforms to the Residential Tenancies Act. The areas are located across 11 counties and include all of Meath and Louth, […]

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New rules to require banks to open up their systems

New rules to require banks to open up their systems Your bank account is set to get more secure – and more open – once new European regulations come into force in September. The second Payments Services Directive aims to reduce fraud around online transactions. This will likely see consumers having to take more steps […]

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