Category: Syndicated

Doherty urged to cut child benefit for high earners to fund more childcare

Social Protection Minister Regina Doherty has indicated she’s prepared to examine cutting child benefit for higher earners to pay for childcare for all. The minister will get her officials to look at households earning more than €100,000 that are also getting child benefit. Ms Doherty was responding to proposals she shift part of the €2bn […]

Continue Reading

Consumers optimistic but still cautious with spending

Irish consumers are planning to spend more but they remain cautious. The move to loosen household purse-strings comes as consumer sentiment rose in May despite uncertainty about the general economic outlook, including the evolving political crisis in Italy. The KBC Bank Ireland/ESRI consumer sentiment index increased to 106.7 in May from 104 in April, reversing […]

Continue Reading

EU will hit Republican voters to fight trade war

The European Union will target consumer, agricultural and steel products made in many key Republican constituencies when it imposes tariffs against US imports in retaliation for punitive duties US President Donald Trump announced yesterday. The Trump administration’s tariffs on imports from key allies sent US and European stocks into a tailspin and stoked demand for […]

Continue Reading

London-based angel investor group to invest €3m in Irish start-ups over next three years

A new London-based angel investment syndicate is to invest €3m in Irish start-ups over the next three years. HBAN’s London syndicate supports the creation of an international network with an affinity to Ireland. Up to six ambitious Irish companies with eyes for international expansion will see investment from the syndicate over the next 12 months. […]

Continue Reading

OECD raises possibility of ‘another property bubble’ as it warns of overheating in Irish economy

SIGNS of overheating have started to be seen in the Irish economy, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development has warned – and Brexit remains the biggest risk. In its latest biannual economic outlook, the Paris-based agency pointed out that new mortgage lending and loans to small businesses have risen sharply in recent months, as […]

Continue Reading

Another headhunter prepares to pitch up in Ireland as Brexit opportunity knocks

Heidrick & Struggles, one of the world’s leading corporate headhunting firms, is preparing to enter the Irish market, the Irish Independent has learned. It is understood that Stafford Bagot, a senior executive who has been based in the firm’s Singapore office but who has deep connections with a number of Ireland’s blue chip corporations, is […]

Continue Reading

IMF maintains China’s 2018 GDP growth forecast at 6.6pc

The International Monetary Fund kept its forecast for China’s 2018 economic growth unchanged at 6.6pc on Wednesday, but warned that overly rapid credit growth and trade frictions could pose risks for the world’s second-largest economy. China’s economy grew 6.8pc in the first quarter of 2018, slightly faster than expected, buoyed by strong consumer demand and […]

Continue Reading

Fasten your seatbelts, we’re going straight up’ – Cool Planet CEO Vicky Brown carves out her own path

Psychology followed by public relations is probably not the most usual college grad trajectory, but Vicky Brown took that path. And she hasn’t worked in either for longer than three weeks. The Dublin mum-of-three is now CEO of Cool Planet, an interactive visitor centre that aims to educate those who cross its threshold about climate […]

Continue Reading

Germany’s jobless rate hits record low, reflecting robust labour market

Germany’s jobless numbers dropped more than expected in May, pushing down the unemployment rate to a record low, data showed on Wednesday, reflecting the robustness of a labour market that has become a key driver of a consumer-led upswing. The Federal Labour Office said the seasonally adjusted jobless total fell by 11,000 to 2.358 million. […]

Continue Reading

European shares slide as Italian election risk reignites euro break-up anxieties

European shares slumped for a second day on Tuesday as investors took flight on renewed fears of euro zone break-up risk as Italy embarked on a new election campaign which could become a proxy referendum on euro membership. Italy’s main stock index sank to a nine month low in early deals, down 1.6pc by 07:25 […]

Continue Reading