Author: splash

MEPs to vote on minimum energy standards for buildings across EU

MEPs will vote later today on proposals to set minimum energy standards for buildings across the EU. Among the changes, the heating and cooling of new buildings will have to result in zero emissions from 2028 onwards. The energy rating of existing residential buildings will have to meet a minimum E rating by 2030 and […]

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Nearly 27,000 new homes to be delivered this year, BPFI predicts

Nearly 27,000 new housing units will be delivered this year, new figures from Banking and Payments Federation Ireland (BPFI) suggest. The latest BPFI housing market monitor shows that housing supply recovered significantly last year after lower-than-expected output in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic. Almost 30,000 new homes were completed last year, up 45% […]

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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 […]

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In the money – Irish banks are boosted by rates bounce

The banking sector has been no stranger to dramatic developments in recent years. Indeed, the past 15 months have not been without their fair share of twists, which were reflected in the annual results of the main banks which were published over the last few weeks. As 2022 kicked off, the industry was still grappling […]

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Fall in workplaces trialling four-day week, survey finds

There has been a fall in the number of companies implementing or trialling a four-day working week, according to a new survey. The study by recruitment company Hays Ireland shows that the number of workplaces that have either implemented or are trialling a four-day working week has dropped from 6% in 2022 to 3.5% in […]

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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, […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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