News

Property prices rise again in June despite pandemic

Property prices rose marginally in the year to June despite the pandemic causing massive disruption to the housing market. Prices were up by just 0.1pc in June when compared with the same month last year. House building has been heavily set back by the virus, with estate agents reporting a fall off in viewing activity. […]

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Changing to four-day week will save jobs, says German union chief

The head of Germany’s largest trade union has proposed a four-day week to protect jobs threatened by digitalisation and the coronavirus-induced economic slump. Jorg Hofmann, head of IG Metall, said he planned to negotiate the reduced working hours for his members in wage talks with major players in the German automotive and mechanical parts sectors. […]

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Alaskan model may help restart the aviation industry

The aviation industry is staring into a winter of devastation but the answer could lie in colder climes. An Alaska-style safe travel model could be utilised, amid warnings Irish airports desperately need support measures for the crippled aviation sector. Traffic has collapsed by 97pc at Dublin, Cork, Shannon and Ireland West-Knock airports since the pandemic […]

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Protecting our vulnerable startups and SMEs is now more vital than ever

There is a popular trope in the narrative surrounding the origins of a successful enterprise, usually centring around working from a back bedroom, the kitchen table or from the garden shed. But the truth about successful start-ups and SMEs is usually a lot more prosaic. On top of a great idea and business plan, there […]

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Staycations and bad weather helped to boost demand for gas

Staycations and the reopening of hospitality and leisure venues have spurred gas demand to near normal levels. But while overall gas demand climbed 4.1pc in July compared to June, it remains 3.7pc lower than a year ago, according to Gas Networks Ireland. Gas demand in the hospitality and leisure sector was just 1pc below where […]

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Lack of funding for Irish startups worries investors

Senior venture capitalists have described as “worrying” the lack of money coming through for new Irish startups. While the overall amount raised on both parts of the island reached €545m for the first six months of 2020 – the highest for four years -the figures were skewed by a handful of giant deals, leaving early-stage […]

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Eurozone government bonds sell off for fourth consecutive day

Euro zone government bond yields rose on Friday, after three consecutive days of selling-off, with the benchmark German 10-year Bund yield having briefly touched a six-week high in early London trading. Borrowing costs in Europe have tracked US Treasuries this week, which have been driven to new highs by a deluge of debt issuance in […]

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No recovery in the retail sector before 2025, says EY report

The technology sector will have recovered from the effects of the coronavirus and lockdown by the end of this year, but retail will not see 2019 levels of activity until beyond 2025. Overall, the economy here will not recover to its 2019 size until 2023 and Northern Ireland’s will take a further year return to […]

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Irish consumers now sixth-most confident in Europe

Deloitte has released it latest State of the Consumer Tracker which shows consumer confidence holding steady into July, with Ireland now in second place in Europe for consumer confidence in visiting stores in person. This is the latest of the new bi-weekly survey, which tracks Irish consumers’ attitudes towards personal well-being, financial concerns, travel and […]

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EU proposes changes to VAT rules

The European Commission has proposed changes to the EU’s VAT rules, in preparation for the end of the transition period with the UK on 31 December 2020. The amendment to the VAT Directive introduces a special identification number for businesses in Northern Ireland, so that EU VAT provisions can be properly applied to goods, in […]

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