Author: splash

Economics is not all about numbers. In fact, in one of the most important areas of economics – central banks and monetary policy-language ranks alongside number crunching in importance. That’s because the power to create money and therefore to influence its value thrusts economics into the forefront of people’s lives. Retaining the confidence of people […]

The Covid-19 Credit Guarantee Scheme for small and medium businesses has been extended the end of June, the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Leo Varadkar said today. Low-cost loans will continue to be available to Irish SMEs through a wide range of lenders including three banks, six non-bank finance providers and 19 […]

The number of residential property transactions increased by almost 19% to 44,110 in the 12 months to October 2021, according to the latest Residential Buildings Report published by GeoDirectory and EY. It reveals that over 16% of all property transactions were for newly built homes, which was down compared to the previous year. The average […]

The Irish balance sheets of large systemically important banks with international operations run from Ireland have grown by as much as €200bn since the UK voted to leave the EU six years ago, a new study has found. The transfers put Ireland in only second place behind Germany when it comes to the value of […]

More than four out of every five builders across the country expect the prices they charge for projects will rise in the first three months of the year when compared to the same period last year, a new survey of the industry has revealed. 99% reported a year-on-year increase in the cost of raw materials, […]

Companies being supported by the country’s Local Enterprise Offices created 7,440 new jobs last year, a 9% increase on the figure in 2020. It brought to 35,729 the total employed by LEO-supported firms at the end of last year, and marks 8th successive year of employment growth. The vast majority – 85% – of those […]

Covid-19 has undoubtedly changed many aspects of our lives, some of which we would hope to return to as soon as the clouds of the pandemic lift. However, there are some areas where our habits may have shifted permanently and are unlikely to revert completely to the old ways. One example is our relationship with […]

The Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland (SCSI) has said it expects the median price of a home in Ireland to increase by almost €14,000 this year. A poll of its 580 members predicts a 5% rise in property prices, with most of that frontloaded to the first three months of the year. It reveals that […]

Home ownership among adults of prime working age has “collapsed” since the financial crisis, according to a report from the Parliamentary Budget Office. Using an international housing affordability survey, the Parliamentary Budget Office concludes the cost of housing here is “severely unaffordable”. The report says this is partly due to “rising rents” and “surging house […]

The National Treasury Management Agency raised 3.5 billion euros from the sale of a new 10-year bond, a lead manager for the deal said, covering at least a quarter of its funding needs for 2022. The NTMA, like other European debt management offices, regularly raises a chunk of funds early in the year by selling […]