Business News

House sales up in commuter counties

10th February 2020

The sale of houses in commuter counties around Dublin increased by at least 5%, according to a study based on analysis of sales recorded in the Property Price Register. Eight Leinster counties recorded increases of at least 5% in the number of sales compared with 2018. The study, which was carried out by property website […]

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Oil prices edge down as traders assess China’s oil demand

10th February 2020

Oil prices edged down this morning but held recent ranges as traders assessed China’s oil demand following the coronavirus outbreak and awaited a decision by major producers to cut output further to balance markets. Oil is off more than 20% from peaks struck in January after a spreading virus hit demand in the world’s largest […]

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Dublin market down over 1% as count resumes

10th February 2020

Shares on the Dublin market were lower this morning after Sinn Féin secured the highest percentage of the first preference vote in the weekend election.  The ISEQ index was down just over 1.1% in early trade. The banks were weaker with AIB losing 4.9%, while Bank of Ireland dropped 4.8% and Permanent TSB lost 1.7% in […]

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China to halve tariffs on $75 billion of US imports

7th February 2020

China said it would halve tariffs on $75 billion-worth of US imports as part of its trade truce with Washington and as officials look to calm markets unnerved by the deadly virus outbreak.  The State Council Tariff Commission said the reductions would come in a month after China and the US signed a deal to dial […]

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Live Register sees another fall in January – CSO

7th February 2020

The number of people signing on the Live Register fell in January to the lowest level since the start of 2008, new figures from the Central Statistics Office show. The CSO said the Live Register fell by 1,300 in January to bring the seasonally adjusted total to 183,900.  On a seasonally adjusted basis, the number […]

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Record number of startups are formed here

7th February 2020

Almost 23,000 business startups were formed in Ireland last year, according to a report from company intelligence firm CRIF Vision-net. This is up 1.2pc on 2018, and is the highest number of startups over a 12-month period in CRIF’s 29-year history. Startups exceeded company closures by more than 10,400 in 2019. Firms operating in the […]

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Consumer sentiment climbs to six-month high

6th February 2020

Consumer sentiment hit a six-month high in January, buoyed by the reduced risk of a disorderly British exit from the European Union. But sentiment was still sharply lower in January than it was a year ago. Ireland has remained the European Union’s fastest growing economy during three years of Brexit talks, but consumer confidence faltered […]

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Lending to households rises for third year in a row – Central Bank

4th February 2020

Lending to households grew for the third year in row last year, mainly on the back of growth in home mortgages, new figures from the Central Bank show today. The Central Bank said that household lending rose by 2.1%, or by €1.9 billion, in 2019. The annual growth rate in lending to buy a home […]

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Manufacturing grows for just second time in 8 months – PMI

4th February 2020

Manufacturing activity grew for just the second time in eight months in January amid greater certainty around Brexit and signs that a slowdown in euro zone economic activity may be bottoming out. Six years of unbroken manufacturing growth came to an end in June as a slowdown in global trade and uncertainty over Britain’s departure […]

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Bank regulator launches toughest ever bank stress tests

4th February 2020

The European Union’s banking watchdog has launched its toughest stress test of lenders to check on their resilience to very low interest rates, trade tensions and Britain failing to get an EU trade deal after Brexit. The European Banking Authority (EBA) said its fifth test since the aftermath of the financial crisis a decade ago, […]

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