News

New figures from Kantar today show that take-home grocery sales increased by 5.4% in the four weeks to September 1 as Irish households prepared for the new school year. Shopping frequency increased by 0.7% in September, along with an increase in average prices of 2.4%, while volumes per trip were also up slightly by 0.4% […]

The national commercial vacancy rate hit a new high of 14.4% in June, new data shows. 30,246 commercial units were classified as vacant across the country, according to the latest GeoDirectory report. The analysis, prepared by EY, found that the commercial vacancy rate increased in 14 out of 26 counties surveyed. “While the national commercial […]

A developer has told a conference there should be an exemption from the Government’s planned zone land tax for companies that are working on developing sites. The Cabinet is introducing a 3% annual levy to discourage speculators from hoarding land that can be used for housing. Senior managing director of US group Hines Brian Moran […]

Ahead of Budget 2025 in October, here are eight changes to look out for: 1. Inheritance tax At present if somebody inherits from a parent, they pay 33% capital acquisition tax on everything above 335,000. This threshold will almost certainly rise to €400,000. The €65,000 increase will be welcomed by many in the context of […]

A multi-million euro investment package has been announced to boost tourism and develop new visitor attractions on two islands. Fáilte Ireland and Údarás na Gaeltachta will work in conjunction with comharchumann (community cooperatives) on Inis Mór and Cléire to bring the projects to fruition. It is part of an initiative to encourage Gaeltacht visits and […]

New figures from the Central Statistics Office show that the annual rate of inflation eased to 1.7% in August from an annual rate of 2.2% in July. The CSO said this is the first time since June 2021 that its official measure of annual inflation has been below 2%. Today’s figures show that the most […]

The European Central Bank cut interest rates again as euro zone inflation slows and economic growth falters, but provided no substantial clues to its next step, even as investors bet on steady policy easing in the months ahead. The ECB lowered its deposit rate by 25 basis points to 3.5% in a widely expected move, […]

Consumer sentiment has rebounded markedly, new research has found. According to the latest PTSB Reflecting Ireland report, respondents are now more positive than they were at any time since 2022 about the economy, with 61% expecting it to get better or stay the same over the coming year. 38% said they were positive about the […]

The European Central Bank is widely expected to cut interest rates by 0.25% later today. The development follows a significant drop in inflation across countries which use the euro. An announcement is expected from the ECB early this afternoon. Last month, inflation in the eurozone fell back to 2.2% which is close to the ECB’s […]

US consumer inflation eased more than expected last month, according to government data published today, likely bolstering calls for the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates next week. A rate cut by the Fed would act to boost demand in the world’s largest economy. That would give the Democratic party some good economic news to […]