Author: Practicenet

When President Donald Trump tweets, he moves markets. Last week’s upbeat comments on the possibility of a deal with China to call a halt to a trade war between the world’s two largest economies helped stock markets rally from the bloodbath of ‘Red October’. By Friday, however, his officials were backpedalling, and not for the […]

The EU’s success as an exporter leaves it vulnerable if tax norms are torn up, which would include creating the digital services tax sought by France and others, Paschal Donohoe has warned. He denied France had offered to make-up for any tax loss to Ireland to win support for its plan. “No such offer has […]

German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s decision to exit politics over two years will weaken her EU power – but Irish officials are confident her Brexit pledges to Ireland still stand. The Irish Government believes Ms Merkel’s surprise announcement that she will begin withdrawing from politics will also have a negative effect on on Brexit, though it […]

Thousands of people face delay in sick pay, causing unnecessary suffering, the Government has been warned. Fianna Fáil’s welfare spokesman Willie O’Dea has urged Social Protection Minister Regina Doherty to intervene and ensure that every citizen entitled to illness benefit gets their full payment on time. “The issues related to disagreements between GPs and the […]

Slowdown: Tracker and standard variable loan-holders to benefit Brexit woes: No deal will pitch Britain into long-lasting recession Hundreds of thousands of mortgage-holders, as well as small businesses, are set for a reprieve on anticipated higher repayments. A slow-down in the economies of countries in the eurozone means an interest rate rise next year is […]

US stocks staggered back from a rout that took the S&P 500 Index into a correction, though major averages remained lower for the day in afternoon trading yesterday. The S&P 500 cut a loss that approached 3pc by more than half, but remains on track for the worst month in eight years. The tech-heavy Nasdaq […]

Ten years on from the global financial crisis is a good opportunity for investors to reflect on what we’ve learned from this seismic event. Lesson 1: Minsky was right Hyman Minsky’s financial-instability hypothesis examined how long stretches of prosperity have tended to sow the seeds of the next crisis. In good times, market participants become […]

The UK is targeting the likes of Google and Facebook by introducing a digital services tax that aims to raise £400m (€450m) a year for the government. Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond unveiled the measure in his Autumn Budget in London yesterday. He said it was designed to hit the largest internet businesses – […]