Posts by sean

Essential minimum living costs increased by 1.8% in the past year with a cumulative increase of 18.8% nationally since 2020. The figures are contained in the annual Minimum Essential Standard of Living (MESL) report published by the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul. The research team found that households with older children (second-level age) were…

New figures from the Central Statistics Office show that households saved 14% of their income in the first three months of this year. This saving rate was down from 14.8% in the fourth quarter of 2024. The CSO said the saving adds to overall household wealth in the form of buying new homes, growing bank…

The State has sold its remaining shares in AIB, Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe said today. The State sold a 2.06% stake in AIB at a price of €6.94 per share. This will generate about €305.3m upon settlement and brings to €19.8 billion the total amount returned to the State to date from its investment…

Euro zone inflation is now on target and no sustained undershooting is likely but the ECB should keep all of its options open for future policy moves amid exceptional uncertainty, Bundesbank President Joachim Nagel said today. The ECB has cut interest rates eight times since last June but signalled a pause in policy easing for…

A new survey reveals that 29% of adults in Ireland said they could not last a full hour without the internet. The annual Connected Lives survey from broadband and telecoms provider Pure Telecom also reveals that 40% of people would turn down €5m in cash if it meant they could never use the internet again.…

At the height of the financial crisis in 2009 Ireland set up the National Asset Management Agency, better known as NAMA. Its purpose was to deal with the loans given by banks to developers and builders – many of which would never be repaid. By any measure, it was one of the biggest decisions in…

The number of homes approved for planning permission fell by 2.5% in the first three months of this year compared to the same period in 2024, according to the Central Statistics Office. The CSO said that in the first quarter of this year 8,177 homes were given the green light by planners compared to 8,387…

No major US trading partner manipulated its currency in 2024, the Treasury Department said in the first semi-annual currency report of President Donald Trump’s new administration. But the Treasury Department’s “monitoring list” of countries warranting close attention grew to nine with the addition of Ireland and Switzerland. While it did not label China a currency…

New figures from the Central Statistics Office show that the annual rate of inflation slowed to 1.7% in May from a rate of 2.2% in April. The CSO said inflation was flat month-on-month while the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices, which strips out mortgage interest costs, fell to 1.4% on an annual basis from 2%…

NAMA, the State body responsible for handling property loans from the financial crisis, plans to return more money to the taxpayer than previously expected. The organisation, which is due to be dissolved this year, plans to return €5.5 billion to the Exchequer – €300m more than previously thought. This made up of a surplus of…