Archive for April 2024

New laws to tackle money laundering, terrorist financing and sanctions evasion are due to be voted on by the European Parliament. The proposed legislation would place increased surveillance on professional football clubs and individuals worth more than €50 million, excluding their main home. A new anti-money laundering authority will also be established. The Government had…

Employment and social welfare supports during the Covid pandemic helped to stabilise the labour market but inequalities persist, according to a new study from the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC) and the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI). The research explored the equality impact of the pandemic on the labour market, comparing the…

Consumers want to make sustainable choices but cost and other practicalities take priority, new research shows. The survey of 1,000 people from Banking and Payments Federation Ireland (BPFI) looks at the role sustainability plays for consumers making decisions on a number of products. When asked about the factors that influence their decision when buying a…

European Central Bank officials are sticking to plans to cut interest rates multiple times this year, even as higher US inflation delays a pivot to looser policy by the US Federal Reserve and tensions in the Middle East keep oil prices high. Investors are rethinking what they expected to be a global easing cycle after…

New figures from the Central Statistics Office show that wholesale electricity were 40.3% lower in March of this year compared to the same time last year. The CSO said that wholesale electricity prices in March 2024 were also 76.6% lower than in August 2022 when prices were at their highest since the CSO began looking…

Taoiseach Simon Harris said today there is capacity to build 60,000 homes a year and there is a need to continue the supply of new homes. Speaking on Today with Claire Byrne, he said that almost 33,000 home were completed last year. “I said we would build 250,000 more houses between 2025 and 2030. And…

New figures from the Central Statistics Office show that the general government balance showed a surplus of €8.3 billion or 1.7% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2023. This marked a slight decrease on the record surplus of €8.6 billion in 2022. The CSO said that total government revenue increased to €123.7 billion in 2023,…

Euro zone inflation is likely to decline further and the European Central Bank may cut interest rates if its long-standing price growth criteria are met, ECB President Christine Lagarde said today. “At the same time, the Governing Council is not pre-committing to a particular rate path,” Lagarde said, repeating the bank’s most recent guidance. “Risks…

So-called ‘green’ job postings in Ireland are up over 90% since 2019, new data shows. The research from hiring platform Indeed highlights the growing demand for such roles, with sustainability now a top priority for many businesses. But the data suggests that companies are struggling to recruit for these positions, with searches by jobseekers down…

The latest AA Ireland fuel price survey shows that petrol and diesel prices have hit their highest level so far this year. AA Ireland said that petrol and diesel prices have increased over the last few weeks after a fall was reported in March. Petrol prices rose to €1.81 a litre in April, while diesel…