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New figures from the Central Statistics Office show that planning permissions for apartments jumped by 80.2% in the third quarter of this year compared to the same time last year. The CSO said the number of planning permissions granted for homes in the third quarter stood 10,590 – 5,656 of these were for apartments and…

European passenger car registrations rose 4.5% in November, marking the third consecutive month of growth this year, thanks to robust demand in Germany and France and a rebound in demand for VW, Audi and Porsche.  Registrations rose to 1,210,860 million cars in the countries of the European Union and the European Free Trade Agreement (EFTA),…

New figures from property consultants CBRE Ireland show that a total of 73 land sales were completed here during 2019. Those 73 sales totalled more than €1.2 billion. This was down on last year’s record result of almost €1.5 billion from 125 deals. CBRE said the 2019 figures still represented a strong result for the…

A new report on credit unions show that they continue to face financial challenges in terms of income generation and return on assets due to the low interest rate environment and high cost metrics.  But the report from the Central Bank said that on a positive note, the credit union sector continues to demonstrate a…

The economy – as measured by gross domestic product – grew by 1.7% in the third quarter of this year from the second quarter. GDP stood 5% higher than it was a year ago, new figures from the Central Statistics Office show today.  The CSO also said that quarterly GDP growth for the second quarter…

The US and China agreed to the first phase of a broader trade agreement that will see the US reduce tariffs, and at least temporarily calm fears of an escalating trade war between the world’s two largest economies. The deal announced hinges on China increasing purchases of American farm goods such as soybeans and pork,…

Average motor insurance premiums in Ireland rose 42% between 2009 and 2018, despite a decrease of 2.5% in the average cost of claims per policy over the same period, new data has revealed. The statistics also show that the average legal costs for motor insurance injury claims settled through litigation between 2015 and 2018 were…

Euro zone business growth remained weak in December, with tepid foreign demand exacerbating a contraction in manufacturing and offsetting a slight pick-up in services activity.  IHS Markit’s Euro Zone Composite Flash Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI), seen as a good guide to economic health, stayed at 50.6 in December, a touch below a median 50.7 predicted…

The Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, Heather Humphreys has today launched a five year plan to future-proof the manufacturing sector here. Ireland’s Industry 4.0 Strategy was launched at the Irish Manufacturing Research Centre in Mullingar in Co Westmeath. It aims to help firms respond to the transformation of the manufacturing sector being driven by…

A new survey has found that more than half of small and medium-sized Irish enterprises are experiencing some or significant impact as a result of Brexit. The research also found that a third of SMEs have postponed a business decision or investment because of the uncertainty around the UK’s departure from the EU, up from a fifth…