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Cost competitiveness is the the top issue for American companies looking to expand in Ireland, new data shows. The latest survey of American Chamber members shows that 32% cited it as their top worry, up from 19% in the previous survey back in July. Housing also continues to be a big issue, with 30% of…

The National Treasury Management Agency said today it plans to issue €6 billion to €10 billion of bonds over the course of 2025 – the same range it set out for 2024. The NTMA ended up raising €6 billion this year due to the Government running a big budget surplus. The Department of Finance expects…

Slowing fuel demand growth in top consumers China and the US has weighed heavily on oil prices this year, although supply cuts from OPEC+, which groups the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries with Russia and other allies, have limited the losses. OPEC+, which pumps about half the world’s oil, will meet on Sunday. Two…

US Federal Reserve officials expect inflation to keep cooling, signaling a gradual approach to interest rate cuts if price increases ease further and the job market remains strong, minutes of their recent meeting showed last night. If data came in about as expected with inflation moving towards policymakers’ 2% target, while employment remained solid, “it…

There has been a rise in the use of cash-in-hand payments for staff in the hotel and catering sector, according to new research. Excel Recruitment’s 2025 Salary Guide for the hospitality sector has found that as businesses struggle to balance budgets, some have started paying cash to workers. “With some establishments turning to cash-in-hand payments,…

Irish consumer sentiment was “steady but subdued” in November. The latest Credit Union Consumer Sentiment Index, in partnership with Core Research, shows an index reading of 74.1 for November, identical to that in October. Only once previously in the near 29-year history of the sentiment survey has the index been completely unchanged between one month…

More than eight out of ever ten Irish investors believe investment in energy transition assets is increasing rapidly, according to new research from KPMG. That compares to 72% globally the survey of 1400 senior executives from around the world, including 50 from Ireland, carried out by KPMG’s Energy Transition Investment Outlook Report found. James Delahunt,…

Irish workers are among the strictest in the world when it comes to ethically questionable practices like nepotism and fake sick days, according to a new survey. The research by the Institute of Business Ethics, in conjunction with the Compliance Institute, found that workers in Ireland were less likely than the global average to find…

Figures from AIB show that Black Friday 2023 broke all records for online spend and indications are that this year will be no different as shoppers hunt for good value ahead of Christmas. AIB’s latest Spend Trend reveals that Irish shoppers spent €105m spent online on Black Friday last year on almost 1 million transactions,…

The total value of mortgages lent by credit unions affiliated to the Irish League of Credit Unions (ILCU) has risen 51% in the past year. Publishing its annual results for the financial year to September, the ILCU said its mortgage loan book has expanded from €371m to €560m. That means that mortgages now comprise a…