Archive for February 2025

Rents should be freely adjusted between tenancies in a significant change to existing restrictions, a major new report on Ireland by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has recommended. The finding comes as the Government reviews existing limits on how much tenants pay as there are concerns they are discouraging institutional investors from…

Briefings for the CEO of the IDA said he needed to be prepared for questions on President Donald Trump’s plans for tariffs which were described as “counterproductive” and “in no ones’ interests.” In Q&As and other documents from late last year, Michael Lohan was advised to emphasise that Ireland needed to focus on what “it…

New figures from the Central Bank show that the average interest rate on new Irish mortgages in December fell to 3.8% – the lowest rate since April 2023 – and down from 3.97% in November. The Central Bank said the equivalent euro area average decreased by eight basis points to 3.35% in December. It noted…

Recruitment firm Cpl has released its salary guide for 2025 detailing the expected pay levels for a wide range of roles across 20 different sectors. The guide is also emphasising that financial incentives alone no longer suffice and that flexible working remains an essential offering when it comes to attracting top talent. According to Cpl,…

Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Harris will join an emergency meeting of EU trade ministers via video conference later to respond to US President Donald Trump’s imposition of tariffs on European steel and aluminium imports. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has condemned the tariffs and promised “firm and proportionate” countermeasures, although…

Three quarters of Irish CEOs expect economic growth to pick up in the coming year, according to the latest CEO Survey from PwC. That compares to 50% of Irish CEOs last year, and is a significant improvement on the 2020 low of 16%. Almost two thirds of business leaders here also expect the global economy…

The Government is examining a recommendation in the Housing Commission’s report which backed the introduction of a system called “reference rents”. This would mean limits regarding how much a landlord could charge would be related to factors such as location and size of property. It is understood these reference rents could be one of a…

Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said there would be some “secondary effects” on the Irish economy as a result of US president Donald Trump’s announcement of 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminium products entering the US. Mr Trump announced the tariffs last night and warned of further reciprocal tariffs that would be announced early this…

The potential replacement of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) with a domestic Irish equivalent will be among the topics discussed at a forum in Dublin. The National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI), in conjunction with Data Edge, Timing Solutions and HEAnet, is hosting Ireland’s inaugural Time & Sync Forum. Following on from the successful launch of…

Mortgage switching activity is growing again as customers try to take advantage of falling European Central Bank rates, according to online broker Doddl.ie. The volume mortgage customers switching lender spiked in 2022, just as the European Central Bank was poised to start raising interest rates. However, as ECB rates rose – and good fixed rate…