News

Euro zone bond yields fall ahead of ECB policy meeting

Euro zone government bond yields fell on Monday ahead of Thursday’s policy meeting of the European Central Bank (ECB), while concerns about the Delta variant of the coronavirus continued to dampen risk sentiment. ECB policymakers are set for a showdown as they chart a new policy path, with disagreements on the economic outlook and thus […]

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Rise in new companies registered in first half of year

Almost 14,000 new companies were registered in Ireland in the first half of the year, up 42% on the same period in 2020 – according to CRIF Vision Net. Within this period, March was the strongest month for start-ups recording a total of 2,715 new registrations. According to the data, the legal, accounting and business […]

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A heatwave hits the economy

It’s not just temperatures which have shot up this week. The Central Statistics Office (CSO) confirmed that the economy, or at least parts of it, is going through a definite heatwave of spectacular growth. We also learned through the Summer Economic Statement that the Government intends to borrow a lot more money than had been […]

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Concern at Govt plans to run deficit of almost 3%

The Chairman of the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council has expressed concern at the Government plans to run a deficit of almost 3%, which would result in a modest fall in the ratio of debt to national income from 110% to 106% by 2025. Sebastian Barnes, who works at the OECD Economics Department, said Ireland has […]

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Consumers feel safer going to restaurants, survey shows

Consumers now feel safer going to restaurants, hotels and attending in-person events, according to a new survey from Deloitte. Their monthly ‘Consumer Tracker’ survey tracks Irish consumers’ attitudes towards personal wellbeing, financial concerns, travel and hospitality, transport and retail. The most recent data was gathered between 24 and 30 June. It shows that consumers’ financial […]

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Appetite for saving money declines as economic reopening gather pace

There are indications in Bank of Ireland’s latest Savings and Investment Index that appetite for saving money is declining as the economy continues to gradually reopen. In May of last year, 55% of people surveyed by the bank said they saw it as a good time to save money, but this had dropped to 47% […]

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Donohoe ‘committed’ to retaining low corporate tax rate

Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe has said he is “so committed” to retaining Ireland’s low corporate tax rate that he is not willing to sign up to a new international tax agreement in its current form. 130 countries and jurisdictions have signed up to a plan that will bring sweeping new reforms to global corporation […]

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Two thirds of parents struggle with back to school costs

Almost two thirds of parents surveyed by the Irish League of Credit Unions for its annual back to school survey say that covering the cost of sending a child to school amounts to a financial burden. Around a quarter of respondents say they get into debt in order to cover the costs every year. The […]

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Banks spend €3bn on delivering digital services – BPFI

Retail banks here have collectively spent over €3 billion in the past five years on delivering new digital services for customers, according to the Banking & Payments Federation of Ireland. The services provided include end-to-end online mortgages, new and secure payment apps, personal loan applications, instant account opening, data analytics, money management tools and SME […]

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Insurance report shows wide disparity in legal costs

The Central Bank has published data on employers’ liability, public liability and commercial property insurance for the first time. The information will form part of the National Claims Information Database. The report highlights a stark difference in legal costs between claims that go through the Personal Injuries Assessment Board and those that are pursued through […]

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