Posts by sean

Beijing is “evaluating” an offer from Washington to hold talks over US President Donald Trump’s 145% tariffs, China’s Commerce Ministry has said, although it warned the United States not to engage in “extortion and coercion”. Washington and Beijing have been locked in a cat-and-mouse game over tariffs, with both sides unwilling to be seen to…

The scarring effects of the pandemic has resulted in small and medium firms investing less in their businesses, according to the Economic and Social Research Institute. It found nearly 60% of enterprises invested in capital in 2023 compared to 64% before the Covid-19. At the same time there was a significant fall in funds allocated…

New figures from the Society of the Irish Motor Industry show that new car registrations rose by 1.9% in April, while registration of battery electric cars jumped by 23.7%. SIMI said that new car registrations rose to 8,731 in April compared to April last year. Registrations so far this year are up 3.4% to 73,505…

Inflation rose by 2% in the 12 month period to April of this year, driven mainly driven by higher food prices. The latest figures show a marginal increase in the rise in the cost of living as measured by the Central Statistics Office as the figure for the 12 months to March was 1.8%. The…

The euro zone economy grew faster than expected in the first quarter, starting 2025 on a modestly upbeat note before a trade war with the US, a surging currency and deteriorating business sentiment weaken it, data showed today. The world’s second-largest economic bloc has barely grown over the past several years as businesses held back…

Growth in the country’s manufacturing sector accelerated in April thanks to a robust expansion in new orders amid signs of stock building due to tariff uncertainty, a survey showed today. The Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) rose to 53 from 51.6 in March, the latest report from AIB shows, moving further above the 50 threshold that…

Preliminary figures for Gross Domestic Product, a measure of the economy which includes the contribution from multinationals, shows an increase of 3.2% in the first three months of this year compared to the last quarter of 2024. The Central Statistics Office said the rise was “was driven by an increase in the multinational dominated sectors…

The Government has confirmed that the start date for pension auto-enrolment is to be delayed from 30 September 2025 to 1 January 2026. Minister for Social Protection Dara Calleary said the commencement of the collection of contributions for the automatic enrolment retirement savings system, called My Future Fund, was being moved to align the new…

Low supply, increasing demand from dairy farmers and issues around succession were the main factors driving up the price of agricultural land last year, according to a report. The study, from the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland and Teagasc, indicates the average price of agricultural land rose by 7% to €9,907 per acre between 2023…

A memo to establish a new Strategic Housing Activation Office will go to the Cabinet this morning. However, the anticipated appointment of NAMA boss Brendan McDonagh to head up the new agency may not be finalised today. Government sources have indicated that issues around the setting up of the office will have to be “teased…