Author: Practicenet

ECONOMIC growth came in at 6.7pc in 2018, and although it slowed in the second half of last year, Ireland has experienced the most rapid growth of any eurozone country since 2014. Strong exports were once again behind the strong growth seen here, according to data from the Central Statistics Office released yesterday. However, there […]

MORTGAGE arrears figures from the Central Bank show another fall in the overall numbers behind on their payments. But there is only a small alteration in the numbers in long-term arrears. This is despite the issue persisting for years now. Court-ordered repossessions are at a nine-year low. The figures show that overall some 63,246 residential […]

Sterling was seeing its best week since January, as investors waited for next week’s parliamentary vote on Prime Minister Theresa May’s deal to exit the European Union. Sterling has rallied this week – it is up 1.7% against the dollar – after British politicians voted against leaving the EU without a deal and backed a […]

The UK will not introduce any new checks or controls on goods moving across the land border into Northern Ireland if the UK leaves the European Union without a deal, it has been announced. Under a temporary and unilateral regime announced by the British government, EU goods arriving from the Republic and remaining in Northern […]

Consumer spending has fallen for the second time in three months, according to Visa’s Irish Consumer Spending Index. Having risen slightly during January, consumer expenditure was down by 0.6pc on a year-on-year basis. This was the sharpest reduction in real spending recorded for two years, as falling consumer confidence continues impact spending habits. The fall […]

An Post is looking to launch its mortgage product in the spring of next year, it said on Wednesday when announcing a loan product that offers up to €75,000. At a briefing in the GPO, the company’s head of retail, Debbie Byrne, said its consumer lending product will go live this month, allowing customers to […]

A third of people in this country are “very worried” about their finances. More than half also have no pension, according to research commissioned by Bank of Ireland. One in four would not last a month without having to borrow if they lost their main source of income. The bank is spending €5m this year […]

The European Union expanded its tax haven blacklist by 10 countries today, adding the United Arab Emirates and Bermuda despite the objections of powerful member states such as Italy. The list now contains 15 countries. It was first drawn up in 2017 in the wake of several scandals, including the Panama Papers and LuxLeaks, that […]

The pound sank in volatile trading today after Britain’s attorney general said the legal risks of a Brexit deal with the European Union had not changed. This cut the chances of the agreement getting through the British parliament. Geoffrey Cox said a revised Brexit deal, secured by Prime Minister Theresa May last night with the […]

Sterling rose today in volatile trade as investors braced for parliamentary votes on Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit’s deal that could decide on what terms – if at all – Britain leaves the EU in less than three weeks. No breakthrough emerged from weekend talks between the British government and the EU. As a result, […]