Author: splash

New EV sales fall 24% in first seven months of 2024

New electric car sales dropped 24% between January and July when compared to the same period last year, new data shows. The figures from the Central Statistics Office reveal that 12,765 new EVs were licensed during the seven month period. 14% of all new cars licensed for the first time were electric, compared with 18% […]

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Oil prices pause after five-day winning streak

Oil prices dipped today after five straight sessions of gains as OPEC’s move to cut its forecast for demand growth in 2024 tempered fears of supply risks posed by widening conflict in the Middle East. Benchmark Brent crude futures were down 98 cents, or 1.2%, at $81.32 a barrel as of 1323 GMT. US West […]

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Property prices on course for 4.5% growth – estate agents

Estate agents expect property prices nationally to increase by an average of 4.5% over the next 12 months. That is up from an expectation of growth in prices of 1% in 2024 in a previous study carried out in January. The surveys were conducted by the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland – SCSI – among […]

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NAMA pays €1.1m in redundancy as it winds down operations

The National Asset Management Agency paid out around €1.5 million last year in redundancy and garden leave payments as it continued to wind down its operations. The State’s bad bank said it had paid €1.1 million in redundancy to 16 different people, with payments ranging in size from less than €25,000 to up to €150,000. […]

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Hotel and cinema trips drive higher spending in July

Spending in July jumped 7% on the previous month and 4% on the same time last year, new data from AIB shows. Spend in hotels was up 7% month-on-month, with spend highest among the 35 to 44 year old age group. A surge in cinema spend was driven by cooler than average weather in July. […]

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Oil retreats as markets refocus on demand concerns

Oil prices edged lower today, breaking a five-day streak of gains, as markets refocused on concerns about demand after OPEC on Monday cut its forecast for demand growth in 2024 due to softer expectations in China. Global benchmark Brent crude futures fell 57 cents, or 0.7%, to $81.73 a barrel at 0630 GMT. US West […]

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Oil extends gains for fifth session

Oil prices rose for a fifth consecutive session today, extending gains from last week’s more than 3% rise, as US. recession fears eased while geopolitical tensions in the Middle East supported prices. Brent crude futures climbed 28 cents, or 0.4%, to $79.94 a barrel by 0635 GMT, while US West Texas Intermediate crude futures rose […]

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Third best July on record for wind generation in Ireland

Last month was the third best July on record for wind generation in Ireland, a new report shows. The data from Wind Energy Ireland shows that power generation in July reached 656 gigawatt-hours. Wind farms in Cork produced the most energy with 80 GWh, followed closely by Kerry at 66 GWh and Galway at 55 […]

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Stabilisation in construction activity; signs of momentum ahead

There are renewed signs of momentum in the construction sector, the latest Purchasing Managers’ Index from BNP Paribas Real Estate Ireland indicates. Although activity in the sector registered at just below the 50 break-even point separating expansion from contraction in the month of July, there were encouraging signs in the report. The survey captured a […]

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Construction industry calls for ‘expansionary’ Budget

One third of companies surveyed in the latest Construction Industry Federation’s Construction Outlook Survey reported an annual increase in turnover during the second quarter of 2024. 30% of companies also reported a year-on-year increase in the total number of people they employed in the same period, with 26% expecting to employ more staff in the […]

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