News

The services sector activity expanded slightly slower in December but growth in new business hit its fastest pace since March and optimism for the coming 12 months improved, a survey showed today. The AIB Global S&P Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) slipped to 57.1 in December from 58.3 in November, but remained well above the 50 […]

Corporation tax increased by 18% last year to €28bn, according to the latest Exchequer Returns from the Department of Finance. When €11bn, which has been raised so far from the Apple tax case, is included in corporation tax figures the total was €39.1bn. But the Department of Finance has warned that Ireland can not continue […]

A new survey reveals significantly lower insolvencies than expected in the last quarter of 2024 and for the entire year. PwC’s latest Insolvency Barometer shows there were 852 insolvencies in 2024, an increase of 16% on the 734 insolvencies in 2023. But the final figure for the year is significantly lower than the more than […]

HR professional body CIPD has said that large parts of the country are facing exceptional weather conditions this week and such a situation requires an exceptional response from employers. Director of CIPD Mary Connaughton said the number one workplace priority for employers and their workers is safety. “As such, we would expect to see employers […]

The National Treasury Management Agency said it plans to issue a new bond via syndication in the first quarter of the year. The NTMA also said it will hold a bond auction on March 20. The agency in November said it planned to issue between €6 billion and €10 billion in bonds over the course […]

The dollar slipped on the last trading day of the year today but was poised to clock strong gains in 2024 against almost all currencies as investors prepared for fewer US rate cuts and the incoming Trump administration. The dollar’s ascent, buoyed by rising Treasury yields, pushed the yen toward its lowest levels since July […]

The number of new cars bought in 2024 was 121,195, according to the Society of the Irish Motor Industry. The figure represents a slight decrease of 1% compared to 2023. 17,459 new electric cars were registered last year, a decrease of 24% in the registrations seen the previous year. Petrol remained the most popular engine […]

There were subdued business conditions across the Irish manufacturing sector, according to the latest AIB Manufacturing Index. December data showed a sustained reduction in new orders which contributed to the fastest decline in production volumes since June. At 49.1 in December, down from 49.9 in November, the seasonally adjusted index posted below the 50.0 no-change […]

European stocks recorded their worst quarterly showing in more than two years today, as uncertainty around interest rates and the Trump administration’s policies halted a rally that had pushed several markets to record highs this year. The pan-European STOXX 600 added 0.6% on the final trading session of the year, but clocked a quarterly decline […]

Consumer prices rose by 1% in the year to December, double the rate of 0.5% recorded in November, a flash estimate of the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices (HICP) from the Central Statistics Office showed today. December HICP growth was the highest since August, when it reached 1.1%. Today’s CSO estimates show that energy prices […]