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Strong demand for car loans propelled the value of personal loan drawdowns to the highest level recorded during the second quarter of the year. In total 60,674 loans worth a total of €641m were provided during the April to June period. That was up 7.6% in volume and 18.9% in value, when compared to the…

There was a sustained uptick in activity in the services sector last month, the latest AIB Ireland Services Purchasing Managers Index shows. However, growth momentum eased from September’s six-month high, the data shows. Overall the index fell from 55.7 in September to 53.8 in October. “The rate of growth in the Irish services sector was…

OPEC+ has agreed to delay a planned December oil output increase by one month, the group said, as weak demand notably from China and rising supply outside the group maintain downward pressure on the oil market. Eight members of OPEC+, which groups the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries plus Russia and other allies, were…

The Government has been told that National Broadband Ireland should seek to ramp up its capacity to meet the demand for new connections in anticipation of continued strong take-up. The recommendation is contained in an independent evaluation report of the National Broadband Plan which was prepared by EY Ireland. The study was based on extensive…

New figures from the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI) show that new car registrations for October rose by 9.7% to 2,423 when compared to the figure of 2,208 the same month last year. Registrations so far this year are down 1.2% to 119,668 on the 121,134 cars registered the same time last year.…

International visitors are spending less time in Ireland, but more money. New figures from the Irish Tourism Industry Confederation (ITIC) show that the length of overnight stays between July and September fell 7%, when compared to the same time last year. However, revenue was up 10% with visitors spending €2.14 billion. Nearly 2 million international…

New figures from the Central Statistics Office show that wholesale electricity prices increased by 12.2% in September compared to August, and were 1% higher compared to September of last year. But wholesale electricity prices have fallen by 70.9% when compared with their peak seen in August 2022. The price index for all energy fuels dropped…

Euro zone inflation accelerated more than expected in October and could still pick up further in the coming months, bolstering the case for caution in European Central Bank interest rate cuts as price growth is not yet fully tamed. Inflation in the 20 countries sharing the euro currency accelerated to 2% from 1.7% in September…

Almost three quarters of Irish businesses have reported an increase in cyberattacks in the past year, according to new research. The Hiscox Cyber Readiness Report shows that Irish companies have experienced an average of 58 cyberattacks over the last 12 months. Almost half of businesses surveyed said they had suffered reputational damage due to the…

The Government is establishing a pilot scheme for reimbursing apartment owners who fix Celtic Tiger era defective properties at their own expense. Two years ago the total cost for repairing the homes was estimated at €1.5 billion to €2.5 billion. The total number of properties affected is up to 100,000, according to the working group…