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German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s decision to exit politics over two years will weaken her EU power – but Irish officials are confident her Brexit pledges to Ireland still stand. The Irish Government believes Ms Merkel’s surprise announcement that she will begin withdrawing from politics will also have a negative effect on on Brexit, though it […]

Thousands of people face delay in sick pay, causing unnecessary suffering, the Government has been warned. Fianna Fáil’s welfare spokesman Willie O’Dea has urged Social Protection Minister Regina Doherty to intervene and ensure that every citizen entitled to illness benefit gets their full payment on time. “The issues related to disagreements between GPs and the […]

Slowdown: Tracker and standard variable loan-holders to benefit Brexit woes: No deal will pitch Britain into long-lasting recession Hundreds of thousands of mortgage-holders, as well as small businesses, are set for a reprieve on anticipated higher repayments. A slow-down in the economies of countries in the eurozone means an interest rate rise next year is […]

US stocks staggered back from a rout that took the S&P 500 Index into a correction, though major averages remained lower for the day in afternoon trading yesterday. The S&P 500 cut a loss that approached 3pc by more than half, but remains on track for the worst month in eight years. The tech-heavy Nasdaq […]

Ten years on from the global financial crisis is a good opportunity for investors to reflect on what we’ve learned from this seismic event. Lesson 1: Minsky was right Hyman Minsky’s financial-instability hypothesis examined how long stretches of prosperity have tended to sow the seeds of the next crisis. In good times, market participants become […]

The UK is targeting the likes of Google and Facebook by introducing a digital services tax that aims to raise £400m (€450m) a year for the government. Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond unveiled the measure in his Autumn Budget in London yesterday. He said it was designed to hit the largest internet businesses – […]

Half of Irish people have come across illegal activity on the internet, according to the latest European Commission barometer. In 17 countries across the EU, scams, frauds, subscription traps or other illegal commercial practices were found to be the most common form of illegal content encountered. In the other EU countries, hate speech or pirated […]

European shares fell to their lowest levels in nearly two years on Tuesday as a new batch of third-quarter earnings failed to offset growing concerns on Brexit, Italy’s budget, Saudi isolation, trade wars, Chinese growth and US interest rates. The pan-European STOXX 600 was down 1.1pc at 0826 GMT, its lowest level since December 2016 […]

If you just read the headline numbers it looks as though the Celtic Tiger is roaring back, economic growth is surging, wages are taking off as unemployment levels head back to pre-crisis levels and Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe’s coffers are bulging as the State heads for a balanced budget. Underneath it all, however, Ireland’s economy […]