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The Government has sharply increased the rate of interest it will charge future first-time home buyers availing of its Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan scheme. As a result of the changes, the 25-year fixed rate has increased to 2.745% from 2%, while the 30-year fixed rate has risen to 2.995% from 2.3%. The move means those…

Volumes through the country’s busiest port indicate a shift from the UK to a growing trade with the continent. Figures from Dublin Port show volumes to Britain fell by 0.2pc last year, while volumes on services to continental Europe grew 10.7pc. Dublin Port trade volumes hit another record in 2019. The port, whose traffic was…

Gamblers in the UK will no longer be able to use their credit cards to place bets online after a major shake-up of rules announced by the industry regulator. From 14 April, people wanting to place bets online will have to do so by using either a debit card or through cash deposited into an…

China’s trade surplus with the US narrowed last year as the world’s two biggest economies exchanged punitive tariffs in a bruising trade war, new data show today. The figures come as the two countries prepare to sign a deal dialling down tensions.   The huge difference in trade traffic is a key bone of contention…

New figures from the Central Statistics Office show the number of new cars licensed for the first time fell by 6.5% in 2019, while the number of used car sales rose by 9.5% to reach its highest ever level. The CSO said that a total of 113,305 new private cars were licensed for the first…

The threshold for USC is to be raised to allow for a previously announced increase in the minimum wage. This will benefit all taxpayers as well as ensuring those on the minimum wage will continue to pay USC at a maximum rate of 2%.  Last month the government announced it had decided to raise the minimum…

The grocery market hit a new milestone over the Christmas weeks, as sales in December passed the €1 billion for the first time ever. The latest figures from Kantar show that although sales growth slowed in the 12 weeks to 29 December, the grocery market weathered difficult trading conditions to increase overall sales by 1.5%…

Stockbrokers Davy have revised upwards their GDP growth forecast for 2020 to 5.5% from 4.1% previously. Davy said the upgrade came on the back of strong foreign direct investment, expansion in the multinational sector and an exceptional export performance. The new forecasts puts Davy well above official projections including the Central Bank’s estimate of 4.3%…

The Economic and Social Research Institute has found that mortgage holders can get a better deal when they read independent advice.  However, the think tank also found some serious misunderstandings about how mortgages work.  The ESRI and the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission brought together a sample of 110 people with mortgages and gave them…

Internet and social media services could in future be blocked for not complying with online safety rules, if draft new legislation published by the Government today comes into force. Under the proposed new laws, internet companies will be legally obliged to comply with new online safety codes. If the legislation is passed by the Oireachtas,…