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Ireland’s credit rating has been upgraded by the ratings agency, Standard & Poor’s. Improved ratings by agencies such as S&P help Ireland borrow more easily and at lower rates on international debt markets. Last month, Ireland’s rating was also upgraded by another agency, Moody’s. This is the first upgrade from S&P since 2019 and brings…

The European Central Bank is investigating introducing a digital currency, to keep pace with a rapidly evolving digital economy. It would be a major change in the way that the central bank issues money, but the ECB says it is considering the move in response to the increasing demand for safe and trusted electronic payments.…

Almost half of drivers would support the introduction of some sort of long-term motor insurance, a new survey has found. More than one in every four respondents said they would be interested in hearing more about the concept of car insurance that lasts for at least three years or more. A quarter of those who…

The number of new homes which construction started on fell 20% in April compared to the previous month, according to new data released by the Department of Housing. However despite this drop, the number of residential units commenced last month was up almost 10% on the same month last year. The number of residential commencements…

Two thirds of small and medium sized businesses do not believe that the Government understands them, new research has found. The study also shows that four out of every five businesses are currently impacted in a big of very big way by energy prices. The survey of 300 firms was carried out by RED Research…

With summer round the corner, thoughts of the two week vacation, parties, barbeques, open air concerts and fun are the order of the day. For many people, using a credit card to its limit or borrowing from a credit union or bank is now the norm for most families as we continue to be challenged…

Prices in the residential property market continued to cool in March, according to the latest figures from the Central Statistics Office. The annual rate of residential property prices nationally slowed to 3.9% in March, compared to an annual rate of 5.1% in February. A year ago, in March 2022, prices were increasing at an annual…

Spending in hotels, pubs and restaurants increased last month, according to new debit and credit card data from AIB. The average daily spend in hotels jumped by 7% in April, while spend in pubs and off licenses was up 6%, and spend in restaurants increased by 4%. This boost across the hospitality sector is in…

Central banks around the world have lost a degree of trust and need to rebuild it by explaining their decision making to a wider audience and not just financial markets, Central Bank Governor Gabriel Makhlouf said. Gabriel Makhlouf is also a governing council member of the European Central Bank. Major central banks have been aggressively…

Euro zone economic growth was 0.1% quarter-on-quarter in the first three months of the year, the EU’s statistics agency confirmed today, with rising employment and a sharp increase in exports that boosted the euro zone trade surplus. Eurostat also confirmed its earlier estimate that gross domestic product in the 20 countries sharing the euro rose…