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The pace of growth in the manufacturing sector slowed sharply to a three-month low in January as Britain’s exit from the European Union’s trading orbit combined with Covid-19 restrictions hit output and new orders.  The AIB IHS Markit manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) dropped to 51.8 from 57.2 in December. While the index was still higher…

A month after the end of the Brexit transition period, authorities say the volume of goods coming into Irish ports from the UK remains at around 50% of normal.  However, the quantities of freight are continuing to gradually build week-on-week, state agencies report, with an 11% increase in movements last week compared to the previous…

A new €55m fund to assist tourism businesses that have been impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic is to be launched later today. The Tourism Business Continuity Scheme, announced by Minister Catherine Martin in last October’s Budget and administered by Fáilte Ireland, will see firms receive grants of up to €200,000. It will provide support to…

The national debt stood at more than €219 billion at the end of last year, equivalent to €44,000 for every person in the country, according to a new report from the Department of Finance.  The sharp increase in public indebtedness, driven by the profound effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on the economy, is thought to…

The value of mortgage approvals in 2020 exceeded €10 billion, despite a slump in lending in the early months of the pandemic. This is according to figures for the final quarter of 2020 and the full year from Banking and Payments Federation of Ireland. A rebound in activity in the final quarter of the year…

Greenhouse gas emissions fell in Ireland because of the pandemic, a new study shows. The dramatic declines in economic activity and transport in 2020 translated into greenhouse gas emission reductions of almost 6%. Early estimates in a report by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) said the reductions represent the biggest fall…

A record number of new .ie Irish websites were registered in 2020, according to a new report by .IE, which manages and administers Ireland’s country domain name .ie. Over 65,000 new .ie domains were registered, a 30% increase on 2019. Peaks and troughs in new .ie registrations generally followed the Government’s restrictions on travel and business.…

Business angels invested over €14m in start-ups across the island of Ireland in 2020, despite the pandemic induced restrictions throughout the year. This is according to the latest figures from HBAN, the Halo Business Angel Network.  HBAN is the all-island organisation responsible for the promotion of business angel investment, and is a joint initiative of Enterprise…

The Government is urging hauliers heading to France from tomorrow onwards to pre-book antigen testing before they travel, because of the new French requirement for a negative Covid-19 test for arrivals into the country. After tonight, all commercial drivers arriving in France from Ireland will have to produce a negative test result. New, dedicated testing…

Irish consumers are tapping their payment cards more than ever. Last December spending using contactless payments topped €1 billion for the first time ever. In the last three months of last year, contactless payments increased 60% year on year, partly due to the easing of Covid-19 restrictions and also Christmas spending. People are not only tapping…