News

New car sales up 15% in January, EV sales hit new high

New car sales were up 15% in January when compared to the same time last year, new figures show. A total of 31,470 new cars were sold during the month, the data from the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI) reveals. Despite that growth, registrations are still 3% lower than pre-Covid levels in 2019. […]

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Euro zone inflation dips but core figures may disappoint

Euro zone inflation eased as expected last month but underlying price pressures fell less than forecast, likely boosting the European Central Bank’s argument that rate cuts should not be rushed, even if the next move is still going to be policy easing. Consumer inflation in the 20 nations sharing the euro dipped to 2.8% in […]

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Inflation estimated to have slowed to 2.7% in January from 3.2% in December

The latest figures from the Central Statistics Office show an easing in the estimated annual rate of inflation in January. The latest “flash” inflation estimate from the CSO shows that the annual rate of inflation stood at 2.7% in January, down from 3.2% in December. The core HICP rate, which excludes energy and unprocessed food, […]

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Construction costs rise but rate of increase eases – SCSI report

Construction costs are continuing to rise, but the rate of increase eased significantly in the second half of last year, the latest Tender Price Index from the Society of Chartered Surveyors of Ireland shows. The report shows that the rate of commercial construction inflation increased nationally at a rate of 1.5% in the final six […]

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Investment scams growing in frequency and complexity – BPFI report

Consumers are being warned to be on the alert for elaborate investment scams involving online and mobile banking transfers. Figures from FraudSMART, the fraud awareness initiative led by the Banking & Payments Federation Ireland showed a year on year 26% increase in the incidence of such fraud in the first six months of last year. […]

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Euro zone narrowly avoids technical recession in Q4

The euro zone’s economy stagnated last year, weighed down by an industrial malaise in Germany, its former powerhouse, data showed today. The 20 countries that share the euro barely avoided an outright recession in the final quarter of last year even as the zone’s biggest trading partner, the US, chalked up impressively brisk growth. The […]

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Mortgage interest relief scheme opens for homeowners

From today, PAYE taxpayers can submit claims for mortgage interest relief for last year. The relief aims to help homeowners who have borne the brunt of interest rate hikes. Around 208,000 households are eligible, with the relief capped at €1,250 per property. The Government said self-assessed taxpayers will be able to claim the relief from […]

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New controls on exports from Ireland to Britain begin

New controls on imports entering Britain from the Republic of Ireland have come into effect. The changes, which are a result of Brexit, require firms to pre-lodge customs declarations ahead of shipping products across the Irish Sea. Agri-food exports also have to be pre-notified to the UK authorities and in some cases they have to […]

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Turnover in Irish investment property market down 70%

Turnover in the Irish investment property market dropped almost 70% last year to €1.85bn when compared to 2022 – the lowest since 2012. A new report by BNP Paribas shows that just 114 deals were carried out in the 12 month period, well below the ten-year average of 223. Between October and December, turnover reached […]

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Job vacancies down 28% in final quarter of last year

Job vacancies fell 28% in the final three months of last year, compared to the same period in 2022. According to IrishJobs the number of open positions advertised on its platform during the period was also 13% lower than the previous quarter. The hiring platform claims the softening is further evidence of a normalisation of […]

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