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NAMA on track to wind down by the end of 2025

The National Asset Management Agency remains on track to wind down completely by the end of next year. But the Minister for Finance Michael McGrath has confirmed that “some residual assets will remain unresolved” after the end of 2025, and that he will be proposing a new bill to ensure the NTMA manages these assets […]

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6.3 million foreign visitors came to Ireland last year – CSO

New figures from the Central Statistics Office show that 6.3 million foreign visitors departed Ireland on overseas routes in 2023. Overall, the visitors spent €7.3 billion on their trips. Of this €1.9 billion was spent on fares, €0.3 billion on prepayments – including car hire, pre-booked tickets and other non-accommodation items paid for in advance […]

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Retailers urged to prepare now for online Christmas shopping – An Post

Is it too early for Irish retailers to start preparing for Christmas? Not according to An Post. It has published its first eCommerce Index which shows that 95% of adults shopped online illustrating the potential for businesses to bolster and expand their ecommerce offering. The period from October to December, is known as the peak […]

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ECB set to cut rates in September and December – poll

The European Central Bank will cut its deposit rate twice more this year, in September and December, according to a significant majority of economists polled by Reuters who said the risks were skewed towards fewer rate cuts than expected. That outlook was broadly unchanged from a survey conducted before the ECB delivered its widely telegraphed […]

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Dublin fourth most expensive city in Europe to build – survey

Dublin is the fourth most expensive city in Europe to build, a new survey shows today, while it also makes it into the top 25 most expensive places to build globally. The International Construction Market Survey 2024 Report, from global professional services company Turner & Townsend, shows that Switzerland remains the most expensive country to […]

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Oil prices stable as demand uncertainty persists

Oil prices were stable today, as traders awaited signs of a hoped-for summer demand boost to prop up prices even as strong supply threatens to blunt gains. Benchmark Brent crude futures were down two cents to $84.23 per barrel this afternoon after climbing in the previous session. US West Texas Intermediate crude futures which also […]

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Central Bank lowers growth forecast for domestic economy

The Central Bank has reduced its forecasts for economic growth this year. In its latest Quarterly Bulletin, the bank predicts that Modified Domestic Demand will expand by 2.1% in 2024, down from its forecast in March of 2.2%. It has also cut its forecast for Gross Domestic Product to 1.8%, down from its previous projection […]

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IMF calls for stronger social safety net to ‘broaden’ gains from AI

Fiscal policy has a “major role to play” in broadening the financial gains from generative AI technology and preventing a spike in wealth inequality, the IMF today. Left unchecked, generative artificial intelligence (AI) threatens to amplify job losses among white collar professions, International Monetary Fund staff wrote in a new paper. The technology forms the […]

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ECB’s Lane confident euro zone inflation will hit 2% in 2025

The European Central Bank’s chief economist said today he remained confident inflation will fall back to the ECB’s 2% target in 2025 after four years of unusually brisk price growth following the Covid pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In a Reuters NEXT Newsmaker interview, Philip Lane also played down the need for the ECB […]

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Dublin ranked 41st most expensive city for international workers

Dublin ranks as the 41st most expensive city in the world for international employees, the 2024 Cost of Living City Ranking survey from Mercer shows, ten places higher than last year. This means that Dublin is more expensive than cities like Edinburgh, Milan, Rome and Madrid, but it is still behind major European cities like […]

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