Category: Syndicated

Consumer and business confidence drops, BoI data shows

Consumer and business confidence dropped this month, amid rising Covid cases and Brexit setbacks. That is according to the latest Bank of Ireland Economic Pulse, which has fallen to its lowest reading in eight months. The survey gathers the views of households and businesses on topics such as finances, spending plans, house prices and business […]

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Is it time for Ulster and KBC Bank customers to switch?

If you are a customer of Ulster Bank or KBC, you may want to start thinking about what bank you will switch to when they withdraw from the Irish market. While both banks say no action is required at the moment, it is worth being prepared well in advance of the closures. Ulster Bank has […]

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Can we expect pay hikes next year to offset rising prices?

Economists differ at the moment over whether the pace of price increases that we are seeing is temporary, or ‘transient’ as they like to put it. Some argue that the rate at which prices are going up is being influenced by the reopening of the economy as the pandemic restrictions are lifted and what we […]

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Can we expect pay hikes next year to offset rising prices?

Economists differ at the moment over whether the pace of price increases that we are seeing is temporary, or ‘transient’ as they like to put it. Some argue that the rate at which prices are going up is being influenced by the reopening of the economy as the pandemic restrictions are lifted and what we […]

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World markets fall as new virus variant sparks panic

European stocks sank over 3% this morning as reports of a newly identified and possibly vaccine resistant coronavirus variant stoked fears of a fresh hit to global economy and drove investors out of riskier assets. Cyclical-heavy European stock markets have already been under stress this week as a resurgence in Covid-19 cases prompted new restrictions […]

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Ireland’s skills strategy to be reviewed as part of OECD process

Ireland’s Skills Strategy is to be reviewed as part of a joint project between the state, stakeholders in the skills sector and the OECD. The review, led by the OECD, will focus on how Ireland is equipped to meet current and future skills needs as well as examining how businesses and employees can be supported […]

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No changes to Central Bank’s mortgage rules

The Central Bank has left its mortgage rules unchanged after its annual review was published today. However, it will now let banks carry forward above-limit loans approved from one calendar year to the next. The Central Bank also announced its intention to introduce new rules for property funds. The mortgage rules are part of the […]

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Half of restaurants adopted new tech during pandemic

Almost half of restaurant and takeaway owners have adopted new technologies since the start of the pandemic, according to new research by Irish food ordering software developer Flipdish. 44% of those businesses invested over €1,500 to do so. The most popular technology adaptations were website ordering and QR code table ordering technology. The research reveals […]

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First-time buyers getting older, mortgage drawdowns increase – study

Just over a quarter of first-time buyers of homes were aged 30 or under last year, according to an analysis of data carried out by the Banking and Payments Federation. That represents a halving of the proportion in 2004 when six in ten people taking out mortgages for the first time were in that age […]

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Euro zone governments urged to keep spending next year

Euro zone governments should keep spending next year to help the post-pandemic recovery, though to different degrees depending on their debt level, the European Commission said today. They should also use cash from the EU’s recovery fund to boost investment, the Commission added. “For the euro area, we call for a moderately supportive fiscal stance […]

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