Category: Syndicated

Last week, I spoke about making cents this Christmas. The expression ‘things are tight at Christmas’ resonates with many of us at this time though the lockdowns have precluded many from spending and there have been sizeable savings locked away. Bernard Manning once quipped: “For Christmas this year I gave my kids a set of […]

The Taoiseach has said that Brexit amounts to the most significant fundamental economic change the country has faced in 50 years. Speaking at Dublin Port, Micheál Martin said he remains hopeful that a deal can be struck, adding it is in the best interests of Ireland, the UK and the European Union. He warned that, […]

Consumers shopping online this week are being advised to be on the lookout for scams. Black Friday and Cyber Monday are expected to see another increase in online spending this year. Fraudsters typically target consumers at busy times, but despite that, it looks like card fraud is on the decline. Debit and credit card fraud […]

Consumer sentiment showed a significant and somewhat surprising rebound in November which may signal a stronger outlook for Christmas spending.  The latest KBC Bank Irish consumer sentiment index jumped to 65.5 in November from 52.6 in October, returning the index to its strongest level since March.  However, the November reading still remains substantially below both […]

Former European Central Bank (ECB) president Mario Draghi has warned governments to use the massive stimulus they’ve deployed in the coronavirus pandemic to upgrade their economies or face the risk of another debt crisis. In his first high-profile appearance since leaving his post in October, Mr Draghi called for “credible” economic policies to avoid disillusionment […]

The coronavirus pandemic has wiped out nearly half of the 12 million euro-area jobs created in the seven years since the last recession, in another sign of the enormous damage wreaked on the economy. Employment slumped by 4.9 million in first half of the year, almost all in the second quarter when the most stringent […]

Property prices rose marginally in the year to June despite the pandemic causing massive disruption to the housing market. Prices were up by just 0.1pc in June when compared with the same month last year. House building has been heavily set back by the virus, with estate agents reporting a fall off in viewing activity. […]

The head of Germany’s largest trade union has proposed a four-day week to protect jobs threatened by digitalisation and the coronavirus-induced economic slump. Jorg Hofmann, head of IG Metall, said he planned to negotiate the reduced working hours for his members in wage talks with major players in the German automotive and mechanical parts sectors. […]

The aviation industry is staring into a winter of devastation but the answer could lie in colder climes. An Alaska-style safe travel model could be utilised, amid warnings Irish airports desperately need support measures for the crippled aviation sector. Traffic has collapsed by 97pc at Dublin, Cork, Shannon and Ireland West-Knock airports since the pandemic […]

The technology sector will have recovered from the effects of the coronavirus and lockdown by the end of this year, but retail will not see 2019 levels of activity until beyond 2025. Overall, the economy here will not recover to its 2019 size until 2023 and Northern Ireland’s will take a further year return to […]