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Investor morale in the euro zone broke an eight-month streak of improvements with a bigger-than-expected decline in July, a survey showed today, describing the results as a “bitter setback”. Sentix’s index for the euro zone fell to -7.3 points for July from 0.3 in June, putting the barometer firmly back in the red. Analysts polled…

Some European Central Bank policymakers felt uneasy about recent inflation developments when they cut interest rates last month and feared that any further delay in reaching the target would be costly, the accounts of their June 5-6 meeting showed today. The ECB cut interest rates at that meeting and signalled that more easing is likely…

The Governor of the Central Bank has urged the Government to stick to its own rule limiting the overall annual increase in spending to 5% in the upcoming budget. Gabriel Makhlouf also advised the new Minister for Finance, Jack Chambers, that it will be necessary to strike the right balance to avoid the risks of…

Budget 2025 is to be brought forward one week to Tuesday 1 October, Minister for Finance Jack Chambers has said. Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, Mr Chambers said it was the “natural date” to hold the Budget due to ministerial commitments in Europe the following week. “We’ve to submit our fiscal and budgetary submission to…

The State took in a total of €44.7 billion in tax in the first six months of the year, up more than 9% on the same period last year, the latest exchequer returns show. The strong performance was driven in particular by corporation tax, income tax and VAT and contributed to an exchequer surplus of…

The Taoiseach has told the banks he wants people to feel the benefits of reduced monthly mortgage repayments as quickly as possible as interest rates begin to fall. Simon Harris has now concluded a series of meetings with banks, credit unions and non-bank lenders. The meetings focused on mortgage interest rates, the housing sector and…

Growth in the country’s service sector moderated slightly in June, bringing jobs growth to a near standstill but a sharp drop in input costs offered welcome relief to firms, a survey showed today. The AIB Global S&P Purchasing Managers’ Index fell to 54.2 from 55 in May, broadly in line with the trend for the…

Bank of Ireland has downgraded its outlook for growth in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to 1% this year and 3.9% in 2025. The bank had previously guided GDP growth of 1.5% for 2024 and 4% next year. The downwards revision was accounted for mainly by distortions associated with the multinational sector rather than any material…

The Government has given the go-ahead for the drafting of legislation to complete the dissolution of the National Asset Management Agency (NAMA) and the winding up of the Irish Bank Resolution Corporation (IBRC). When enacted, the laws will facilitate the planned ending of the liquidation of IBRC by the end of this year and the…

A new report from the ESRI shows that 35,000 to 53,000 new dwellings will be needed annually based on projected population growth scenarios. The report looks at forecasts for population levels and related housing requirements using census and research data, as well as various forecasts on international migration patterns. The research was funded by the…