Work started on 4,249 homes last month which represents an increase of 62% on October 2023, according to official figures from the Department of Housing. Dermot O’Leary, chief economist with Goodbody Stockbrokers, said the “figures look strong” compared to average monthly commencement data. Builders have been encouraged to start work on housing this year because…
Category Archives: News
Most consumers do not trust Black Friday deals, new research shows. The report published by the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) reveals that just 30% of consumers believe that the discounts displayed by businesses are genuine. The findings are being released ahead of Black Friday which takes place this day next week, 29 November,…
Total tax revenue last year was 50% higher than it was in 2020, new data from the Central Statistics Office shows. €116 billion in taxes and social contributions were collected by the State in 2023, the CSO said, an increase of 5% on a year earlier. The growth was in large part propelled by corporation…
Property prices are continuing to accelerate and are up 10% in the 12 months to September, according to the latest figures from the Central Statistics Office. The latest figures show that prices rose by 10.8% in Dublin and 9.4% outside the capital. The median cost of buying a home nationally was €346,000. The lowest prices…
The rate of employment in the country has increased once again, hitting a new record high, according to the latest Central Statistics Office figures. The Labour Force Survey for the third quarter of the year shows that the estimated employment rate for people aged 15-64 years was 75.3% – the highest rate recorded since the…
The national average cost of rebuilding a home has risen by 6.2% in the last year. That is lower than the 12% increase recorded last year and the 21% seen in 2022. But the new research by the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland (SCSI) found that the rate of growth in rebuild costs over the…
The Health Insurance Authority is urging consumers to review their policy and shop around to ensure they are not overpaying while securing the right coverage for their needs as the health insurance renewals period nears. The HIA said that private health insurance now costs €1,712 on average with price increases of 11% so far this…
New research from the Central Statistics Office show that the proportion of people who rate their overall life satisfaction as “high” has increased from 24.4% in 2022 to 28.9% in 2023. A greater proportion of men (32.1%) reported high levels of overall life satisfaction when compared with women (25.9%), the CSO noted. People aged 65…
Consumers spent a total of €1.16 billion in grocery stores in the four weeks to 3 November, making it the biggest sales month of the year so far. New figures from Kantar show that grocery sales jumped 6.4%, boosted by Halloween treats and early Christmas purchases. Grocery inflation stood at 3.3%, down on the same…
The Governor of the Central Bank has said it would be going a bit far to say an ECB interest rate cut next month is in the bag. However, Gabriel Makhlouf also said the evidence would need to be “pretty overwhelming” to consider a 50-basis-point cut at the meeting on 12 December. The Central Bank…