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Euro zone May business growth weaker than expected – PMI

Euro zone May business growth weaker than expected – PMI Euro zone business growth accelerated a touch this month but not as much as expected, bogged down by a deepening contraction in the bloc’s manufacturing industry which is increasingly affecting service firms. Last month, European Central Bank President Mario Draghi raised the prospect of more […]

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Oil prices set for 2019’s biggest weekly loss

Oil prices set for 2019’s biggest weekly loss Oil rose towards $69 a barrel today after two sessions of losses, but remained on track for its biggest weekly drop this year due to rising inventories and concerns about an economic slowdown. US crude inventories rose to hit the highest since July 2017, suggesting ample supplies […]

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Consumers spent €1.7 billion online in March

Consumers spent €1.7 billion online in March New figures from the Central Bank show that there are more payment cards than people in this country, with just over six million active credit or debit cards in circulation. In the first three months of the year, Irish people spent just over €1.7 billion using those cards […]

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More than €8 of every €10 spent by shoppers on cards is still instore

More than €8 of every €10 spent by shoppers on cards is still instore An analysis of €9 billion of retail credit and debit card transactions by AIB Bank found that 86 per cent of the purchases were made instore last year. The remaining 14 per cent occurred online, just a single percentage point increase […]

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Personal injury costs threaten retail viability

Personal injury costs threaten retail viability Retailers have hit out at the slow pace of insurance reform. Rising personal injury awards are threatening the viability of the sector, according to Ibec’s Retail Ireland division. Large numbers of retailers will be unable to meet the rising cost of insurance premiums unless urgent reform to the compensation […]

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Consumers spent €1.7 billion online in March

Consumers spent €1.7 billion online in March New figures from the Central Bank show that there are more payment cards than people in this country, with just over six million active credit or debit cards in circulation. In the first three months of the year, Irish people spent just over €1.7 billion using those cards […]

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Google complying with EU order in shopping case, says Vestager

Google complying with EU order in shopping case, says Vestager Google is complying with an EU order to boost competition in online shopping, Europe’s competition chief said today, brushing aside complaints from rivals demanding more regulatory action. Google was hit with a €2.4 billion fine two years ago for unfairly promoting its own comparison shopping […]

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UK inflation rises less than Bank of England expected in April

UK inflation rises less than Bank of England expected in April British inflation rose last month by less than investors and the Bank of England had expected but still hit its highest level this year, pushed up by a rise in energy bills. UK consumer prices rose at an annual rate of 2.1% in April […]

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Top 5 exporters account for over a quarter of all goods exports in 2017

Top 5 exporters account for over a quarter of all goods exports in 2017 New figures from the CSO show that the country’s five biggest exporters accounted for 26% of all exports in 2017 with the pharmaceutical sector the biggest exporter of goods. The Central Statistics Office said that the five highest value exporters accounted […]

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Risk of no-deal Brexit has never been greater – Coveney

Risk of no-deal Brexit has never been greater – Coveney Tánaiste and Minster for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney has warned Cabinet colleagues that at no point in the last two-and-a-half years has the risk of a no-deal Brexit been greater. He said that while a hard Brexit could still be avoided, Britain had failed to […]

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