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A new report warns that up to 50% of restaurants in Ireland face closure unless an emergency grant aid package is issued by the Government.  The latest Restaurants Association of Ireland report also warns that recently promoted staycations or weekends away will not be an option if the tourism and hospitality industry is not supported.…

An air cargo boom driven by demand for protective gear against the coronavirus has peaked. Rates, while still 50% above normal levels, are falling in a worrying trend for airlines relying on freight revenue in the absence of passengers.  Declining prices may deal a blow to carriers that are scrambling to move cargo to offset…

France said a US decision to quit global talks on how to tax big digital firms such as Google, Amazon and Facebook was a “provocation”. This comes as the European Union said it could impose taxes even if no deal was reached by the end of the year.  The latest trade row was ignited after the…

The number of property transactions slowed dramatically in April, according to the latest figures from the Central Statistics Office. House prices also fell last month but are marginally ahead of where they were a year ago, the CSO figures show. The CSO’s Residential Property Price Index shows that house prices nationally were 0.5% higher in…

The Deputy Governor of the Central Bank has said while the financial system is stronger than a decade ago, its resilience is not limitless. Sharon Donnery made her comment as she addressed an online presentation hosted by the Institute of International and European Affairs. She said she recognised the resilience of Irish households, businesses and the…

A new survey shows that 76% of Ireland’s chief financial officers expect a decrease in their company’s revenues and profits this year as a result of Covid-19. 28% of CFOs expect this decrease to be 25% or more, the latest PwC CFO Pulse survey shows.  PwC said that fewer global companies – 20% – expect this…

The Central Bank has warned that the scale of the economic shock due to Covid-19 is “unprecedented” and will create pressure on the financial position of both borrowers and banks.   Central Bank Governor Gabriel Makhlouf said governments are facing “fantastic levels of uncertainty” over the future and warned that while the financial system is resilient,…

European passenger car sales slumped in May but the drop was not as sharp as in the previous month because of an easing of restrictions imposed to contain the coronavirus pandemic, industry data showed today.  In May, new car registrations dropped by 56.8% to 623,812 vehicles in the European Union, Britain and the European Free…

A new survey has found that just 12% of business leaders believe all staff will be back in their companies’ office/workspace once the Covid-19 lockdown is lifted, while 40% predict an equal mix of staff working in the office and remotely. 31% of bosses are either planning to downsize their office space or having it under consideration,…

The draft Programme for Government includes details of a stimulus plan for the economy to be published in July.  It also outlines the parameters of a National Economic Plan which will be published alongside Budget 2021.   At that time, a “medium term roadmap” will be set out to plan a reduction in the budget…