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There’s been a general welcome for the measures announced by the Taoiseach about the next phase of reopening of the economy and society. Business group Ibec said the announcement provided clarity on the timeline for a phased and safe return to offices. The roadmap would provide added momentum to what has already been a very…

The Restaurants Association gave a cautious welcome to the Taoiseach’s announcement on the easing of Covid restrictions. Chief executive Adrian Cummins said the measures went a long way towards outlining a roadmap for the sector with the provision of key dates, metrics and targets. However, he said there was more work to be done regarding…

The Government has reduced its stake in Bank of Ireland by a percentage point. In a statement to the stock exchange, Bank of Ireland said the percentage of its voting rights owned by the Government through the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund (ISIF) has decreased from 12.98% to 11.97%. The percentage of voting rights in the…

Sinn Fein leader, Mary Lou McDonald TD has stated that if planning is approved for the 1,614 ‘build to rent’ apartments on the grounds of Clonliffe College in Drumcondra, Dublin it will only further exacerbate the housing crisis. The Dublin Central TD is one of 120 parties to make submissions on the contentious €610 million…

Euro zone economic sentiment eased more than expected in August from a record high in July, hit by a sharp drop in optimism in France and the Netherlands, while selling price expectations peaked. The European Commission’s economic sentiment index, released today, eased to 117.5 in August from an all-time high of 119 in July. Optimism…

Bank of Ireland’s latest Economic Pulse shows that consumer confidence rose in August but business sentiment slipped. Bank of Ireland said the Consumer Pulse was in catch-up mode and moved higher as households upgraded their assessment of both the general economic and their own financial situations. But the Business Pulse slipped this month as Bank…

People are adopting a more conservative approach to using savings build up during the Covid-19 pandemic than anticipated, new research from Permanent TSB Bank and research company Kantar shows. Leontia Fannin, Head of Corporate Affairs at Permanent TSB, said today’s findings could signal a lower-than-expected post Covid “bounce” in the economy. “There has been an…

When the history of Ireland’s handling of the pandemic is written in years to come, the economic impact and the response of the Government to it will be a key focus. And central to that analysis will be the role played by, and the effectiveness of, the Pandemic Unemployment Payment or PUP. Introduced almost overnight…

Around three in ten workers surveyed by recruitment website Indeed said they were open to new employment opportunities but are not actively looking. The survey showed that 7% of workers said they were urgently looking for a new post while around half said they were not searching for a new role. Indeed said this suggests…

Just over 53,500 mortgages to the value of almost €13.2 billion were approved in Ireland in the 12 months to the end of July, according to Banking and Payments Federation Ireland. That represented an increase in approval volumes of just over 3% compared to the 12 months to the end of June, while the value…