News

Dept issues warning about scam phone calls

The Department of Social Protection has issued a warning about scam phone calls from people claiming to be department officials. The department said that the call displays a range of numbers, including its own helpline number, which is 1890 800 024. It said that it was not contacting customers or members of the public through […]

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Site shutdown sees building activity stall for third month in a row

Construction activity declined for the third month running in March as most building sites remained shuttered due to Covid-19 restrictions. Activity across all sub-sectors fell sharply, according to Ulster Bank’s monthly measure of activity in the sector, but the pace of decline eased somewhat relative to the extreme weakness registered in January and February. The […]

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Consumer prices rise at fastest monthly pace in two years

New figures show that consumer prices rose at their fastest monthly pace in two years in March to stand at the same level a year earlier, when the Covid-19 pandemic began to hit Ireland. The Central Statistics Office said the 0.8% monthly rise in March was driven by increased energy, housing and transport costs. The […]

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European rents up 15%, house prices by 28.6% since 2010

Irish house prices rose in line with the EU average of 28.9% over the past decade, according to figures published today by Eurostat, the EU’s statistical agency.  The figures measure price and rent movements from 2010 until the fourth quarter of 2020.   However, rental prices in Ireland rose by 61.8% over the same period. […]

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What is a global minimum tax and how could it affect companies, countries?

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has thrown the weight of the US government behind a push for a global corporate minimum tax rate, possibly carving a path to a long-sought deal updating international tax rules for the first time in a generation.  Yellen said this week that she is working with G20 countries to agree […]

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Those on minimum wage hit hard with pandemic job losses

Minimum wage employees in Ireland are likely to be suffering disproportionately from job losses as almost half work in sectors worst hit by the Covid-19 pandemic, according to new research by the Economic and Social Research Institute. The study, entitled ‘A comparative assessment of minimum wage employment in Europe’, also found that being younger, having […]

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Over €26m spent a day in contactless payments in February

New figures from Banking and Payments Federation Ireland reveal that 1.6 million contactless payments were made every day in February. February saw a total of 46.2 million contactless payment made over the course of the month worth over €733m.  This marked an increase of 6.5% in volume terms on the same time last year and […]

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Over €26m spent a day in contactless payments in February

New figures from Banking and Payments Federation Ireland reveal that 1.6 million contactless payments were made every day in February. February saw a total of 46.2 million contactless payment made over the course of the month worth over €733m.  This marked an increase of 6.5% in volume terms on the same time last year and […]

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Irish mortgage rates still second highest in euro zone – Central Bank

Rates on Irish mortgages remain the second highest in the euro area, according to the latest figures from the Central Bank.  In February, the average rate on new mortgage agreements was 2.79%. This compares to the euro area average of 1.27%.  This rate was unchanged compared to the previous month but was 0.12% lower than […]

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Irish mortgage rates still second highest in euro zone – Central Bank

Rates on Irish mortgages remain the second highest in the euro area, according to the latest figures from the Central Bank.  In February, the average rate on new mortgage agreements was 2.79%. This compares to the euro area average of 1.27%.  This rate was unchanged compared to the previous month but was 0.12% lower than […]

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