Category: Syndicated

Services sector continues to grow, expansion rate slows

The Irish services sector continued to grow strongly in August, according to AIB’s Purchasing Managers’ Index. The monthly measure of activity in the sector shows further rapid increases in both new and outstanding business last month. While total services output expanded at a slower rate than in July, it was still the second-strongest since the […]

Continue Reading

Quarterly GDP up 6.3% in second quarter as Covid curbs ease

New figures from the Central Statistics Office show that the economy – as measured by Gross Domestic Product – grew by 6.3% in the second quarter of 2021 compared to the first three months of the year. On an annual basis, GDP showed growth of 21.6% in the second quarter, the CSO said, as the […]

Continue Reading

Govt to launch multi-billion euro housing strategy

The Government will today launch its housing plan titled Housing for All, with the multi-billion euro strategy set to detail guaranteed spending plans for the next five years. Minister for Housing Darragh O’Brien is also expected to announce planning exemptions to develop homes above shop and business premises. The long-awaited plan commits to a €4 […]

Continue Reading

Higher debt and deficits increase risks to the economy – Governor

The Governor of the Central Bank has warned that higher debt and deficit projections out to the middle of the decade increase the risks to the public finances and the economy. In a pre-budget letter to the Minister for Finance, Gabriel Makhlouf refers to the revised projections for the public finances in the Summer Economic […]

Continue Reading

Jobless rate including Covid-19 payouts falls to 12.4% – CSO

The unemployment rate, when adjusted to include those on the Pandemic Unemployment Payment, stood at 12.4% in August. The latest release from the Central Statistics Office shows the jobless rate fell from 13.5% in July and compares to 17.1% the same time last year. The CSO said the seasonally adjusted traditional rate of unemployment was […]

Continue Reading

Manufacturing loses momentum as bottlenecks constrain output

Irish factory activity lost some momentum in August with growth in output, new orders, exports and purchasing all lower than the previous month, a survey showed today. The AIB IHS Markit manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) stood at 62.8 in August. This marked the fourth highest reading since the survey began in 1998 but lower […]

Continue Reading

Broad welcome from business groups for reopening update

There’s been a general welcome for the measures announced by the Taoiseach about the next phase of reopening of the economy and society. Business group Ibec said the announcement provided clarity on the timeline for a phased and safe return to offices. The roadmap would provide added momentum to what has already been a very […]

Continue Reading

Calls for continued supports for hotels and restaurants

The Restaurants Association gave a cautious welcome to the Taoiseach’s announcement on the easing of Covid restrictions. Chief executive Adrian Cummins said the measures went a long way towards outlining a roadmap for the sector with the provision of key dates, metrics and targets. However, he said there was more work to be done regarding […]

Continue Reading

State further reduces stake in Bank of Ireland

The Government has reduced its stake in Bank of Ireland by a percentage point. In a statement to the stock exchange, Bank of Ireland said the percentage of its voting rights owned by the Government through the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund (ISIF) has decreased from 12.98% to 11.97%. The percentage of voting rights in the […]

Continue Reading

Sinn Féin leader says ‘build to rent’ scheme would worsen housing crisis

Sinn Fein leader, Mary Lou McDonald TD has stated that if planning is approved for the 1,614 ‘build to rent’ apartments on the grounds of Clonliffe College in Drumcondra, Dublin it will only further exacerbate the housing crisis. The Dublin Central TD is one of 120 parties to make submissions on the contentious €610 million […]

Continue Reading