News

The Governing Council of the European Central Bank (ECB) is expected to leave interest rates unchanged when it meets later today. The likely pause follows the decision to cut rates by 0.25% at the last meeting of the bank’s chiefs in June, the first reduction since 2019. That brought the key deposit rate back down […]

The annual rate of increase in the price of homes around the country picked up further in pace in May, new data from the Central Statistics Office shows. The CSO’s Residential Property Price Index rose by 8.2% in the 12 months to the end of May, compared to 7.9% in the year to the end […]

New car sales in the European Union rose 4.3% in June to their highest since July 2019, driven by an uptick in major markets Italy, Germany, and Spain, while registrations of battery electric cars fell marginally, data from Europe’s auto industry body showed today. The European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) said a rise in registrations […]

The global economy is set for modest growth over the next two years amid cooling activity in the US, a bottoming-out in Europe and stronger consumption and exports for China, but risks to the path abound, the International Monetary Fund said today. The IMF warned in an update to its World Economic Outlook (WEO) that […]

Just 15% of businesses here say they are fully compliant with the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) rules. A survey by Ipsos B&A, conducted on behalf of Forvis Mazars and McCann Fitzgerald, found that 58% of firms deemed themselves to be ‘materially compliant’, while 25% were ‘somewhat compliant’. That is despite more companies […]

There has been a strong rebound in Dublin office lettings, but a surge in supply in driving vacancy rates higher. New data from BNP Paribas Real Estate Ireland shows that 86,250 sq m of office accommodation was taken-up between April and June. This is the highest figure for two and a half years, and surpasses […]

New figures from the Central Statistics Office show that exports of goods increased by 10% to almost €91 billion in the first five months of this year, while imports decreased by 10% during the same time. The CSO said that chemicals and related products showed the largest changes in both cases. Exports of these goods […]

The Government is to establish a new regulator to oversee the construction of buildings. The Buildings Standards Regulatory Authority will have powers of inspection, enforcement and will have a range of sanctions available to it. Minister for Housing Darragh O’Brien will seek Cabinet approval for the establishment of the new regulator. This step was recommended […]

Almost three quarters of Irish medium-sized companies are predicting a positive future, the latest International Business Report from Grant Thornton reveals, better than the euro zone average. The Grant Thornton survey, which looks at the attitudes of 10,000 mid-market businesses across 28 countries, shows that 73% of Irish medium-sized companies surveyed are predicting a positive […]

A recruitment freeze at the Health Service Executive is to end today after it was introduced last October. Its termination was confirmed yesterday by HSE CEO Bernard Gloster. The embargo was extended in November to include all categories of staff, with the exception of consultants, doctors in training and nurses and midwives who graduated last […]