The euro zone economy grew by more than expected in the first quarter of 2024, buoyed by a return to growth for Germany and strong expansion in Spain, preliminary data from the European statistics agency Eurostat showed today. Gross domestic product increased by 0.3% quarter-on-quarter for a 0.5% year-on-year rise, compared with market expectations that…

The latest “flash” estimate of inflation from the Central Statistics Office shows that the annual rate slowed to 1.6% in the year to April from a rate of 1.7% in the year to March. The CSO said this compares to a rate of 2.4% in the EU Harmonised Index of Consumer Price inflation (HICP) for…

The number of claims related to accidents caused by drivers who were either uninsured or untraced rose 11% last year. The Motor Insurers’ Bureau of Ireland said 1,927 claims were received during the year, up 187 on 2022. The largest number of claims came in Dublin where there were 822, followed by Cork which recorded…

Ireland’s first Trade Union week begins today. It will see thousands of workers across the island taking part in events and activities over the next seven days. The initiative is part of an Irish Congress of Trade Unions’ (ICTU) campaign to promote trade union membership. There will be activities in schools, colleges and universities, as…

KBC Bank Ireland will return its banking licence to the Central Bank of Ireland next week, in its last act before exiting the Irish market. Three years after announcing its intention to leave Ireland, the bank confirmed that it had received approval from the European Central Bank to return the licence on Tuesday, April 30….

Ireland has one of the highest shares of hybrid and remote job postings in Europe, according to the professional network LinkedIn. The analysis shows how working habits have changed in Ireland in the past four years, with the appetite from professionals for hybrid and remote work remaining high despite business leaders continuing to encourage workers…

There was a 12.1% fall in the number of new home completions in the first quarter of this year, according to new data from the Central Statistics Office. The CSO reported a total of 5,841 new dwelling completions between the months of January, February and March of this year; down from 6,647 in the first…

There was a marginal fall in consumer sentiment for a third month running in April, the latest consumer sentiment index from the Credit Union has found. It follows on from four months of gains in sentiment in the latter part of 2023 and into January of this year as inflation abated and talk of interest…

A Central Bank review of the supports that are in place for borrowers experiencing early mortgage arrears has found they need to be improved. The analysis looked at the effectiveness of the system those experiencing difficulty must navigate, focusing in particular on the supports, resources and service levels that exist to assist consumers in financial…

The outstanding debt owned by businesses that availed of Revenue’s debt warehousing scheme stood at €1.58 billion this week, according to the tax commissioners in their annual report for 2023. The scheme was introduced to assist businesses that experienced cash-flow and trading difficulties during the Covid-19 pandemic. It was announced earlier this year that the…