Author: Practicenet

Higher costs for air fares and rising restaurant prices saw the inflation rate move up slightly. The annual inflation rate crept up to 0.7pc in December compared with the same month in the previous year. The annual rise was 0.6pc in November. The slight rise in the inflation rate was despite falls in petrol and […]

Car fuel prices have dropped to their lowest level in almost 18 months, according to an AA Ireland survey. The drop is due to a global fall in the cost of crude oil as a result of greater supply. AA said the fall was no thanks to the State which takes 64pc of the cost […]

Central Bank changes that came into effect on mortgages at the start of the year represent a missed opportunity to tackle some of the worst excesses of our dysfunctional home-loans market. Now lenders will have to tell customers if they can make savings on their mortgages. Lenders will also have to let variable-rate mortgage customers […]

A Government Minister wants lower property tax rates for those in affluent areas. The Local Property Tax (LPT) was based on valuations of house prices after the economic slump. Those valuations expire later this year and the property market recovery could leave families facing €500 tax hikes. Culture Minister Josepha Madigan, a rising star within […]

Investment by Chinese companies here has surged more than 200pc over the past year, amid trade tensions between Beijing and Washington, while Irish companies are seeking a greater foothold in the world’s fastest-growing major economy. According to analysis from consultants Baker McKenzie and Rhodium Group, completed Chinese investment here hit $100m (€87m) in 2018. The […]

The AA’s monthly fuel prices survey found that the average cost of a litre of petrol hit a 16 month low in January. The AA said the average cost of a litre of petrol is 132.9 cent – the lowest level since August 2017 – and down from 136.9 cent in December 2018. Diesel costs […]

AIB has called on the Government to level the playing field between private landlords and their institutional counterparts. The State-owned bank also urged Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe to extend the help-to-buy scheme beyond 2019 as soon as possible to avoid an “inevitable scramble” by prospective buyers ahead of October’s budget. In its second annual report […]

Investor pessimism is high this New Year. The dismal performance of a number of stock markets in 2018 disappointed many. Trade wars, Brexit and rising interest rates weighed heavily on investors’ minds – and continue to do so. One of the biggest concerns on investors’ minds today though is whether or not we’re on the […]

Irish hauliers are deeply concerned that a no-deal or hard Brexit will lead to unworkable delays at UK ports. They are already delivering huge quantities of non-perishable goods which are being stockpiled in both Ireland the UK amidst fears of Britain crashing out of the EU. Speaking on RTÉ’s The Week in Politics on the […]

Opinion: here’s how the US economy, Chinese growth, oil prices, globalism, unemployment and Brexit will affect our world At the start of the year, there is great interest in making predictions. But instead of making short term predictions for 2019, what are some of the big trends which may dominate the next five to ten […]