Europe’s stock markets opened lower, as EU leaders struggled to unite over the terms of a vast 750 billion euro post-coronavirus economic rescue plan. Investor sentiment was also dented as a spike in new Covid-19 infections forced some governments to impose fresh containment measures, notably in Australia, Hong Kong and the United States. In initial…
Oil prices fell on Monday, unnerved by the prospect that a recovery in fuel demand could be derailed by a rise in the pace of coronavirus infections around the world. Brent crude LCOc1 was down 25 cents, or 0.6%, at $42.89 a barrel, after dropping slightly last week. U.S. oil was off by 22 cents,…
During the pandemic, consumers expected their finances to get worse as the Irish government tightened lockdown restrictions. Fast-forward to post-Covid regulations, their sentiments about the economy have been reported to be positive. KBC’s latest report on consumer outlook KBC Bank’s latest report on consumer sentiments indicates that as consumers’ fears about the disease are subsiding,…
The government’s Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme has now cost in excess of €2 billion, according to the latest statistics issued by the Revenue Commissioners. Around 415,000 employees are currently being directly supported by the scheme, having received a TWSS subsidy in their last payroll cycle. However, since the scheme was launched on 26 March, over 618,000…
Almost half of those working in the accountancy profession have called for greater leniency on filing deadlines, interest and penalties as companies try to cope with the effects of Covid-19, a new survey shows. The survey, conducted by Chartered Accountants Ireland among almost 2,000 members on the island of Ireland, also shows that liquidity and…
The euro zone economy may contract less this year than the European Central Bank had forecast and its recovery could also be quicker, the bank’s Survey of Professional Forecasters showed today. The quarterly survey sees the economy shrinking by 8.3% this year. This marked a downgrade from its May projection for a 5.5% drop but a…
The European Union’s top court has fined Ireland for delays and incomplete application of the EU’s rules against money laundering and terrorist financing, it said in a statement. The EU Court of Justice ordered Ireland to pay to the European Commission a lumpsum of €2 million, while Romania was fined €3m. “Both member states failed…
Enterprise Ireland has cautioned that 2020 will be very challenging for many Irish exporters due to the outbreak of Covid-19 and Brexit. The government agency responsible for the development and growth of Irish companies in global markets said that Irish companies trading internationally have been impacted in every market due to the global nature of…
The European Court of Justice has rejected a key EU tool used to transfer Europeans’ personal data across the Atlantic for commercial use. However, it upheld the validity of another tool used by hundreds of thousands of companies to transfer data worldwide. The court ruled that Privacy Shield, the EU-US data protection agreement, is invalid,…
A survey reveals that despite enforced business closures, challenging restrictions and loss of revenue, 51% of Irish SMEs are feeling optimistic about the future of their business. The Future of Business Survey, run by Facebook in collaboration with the World Bank and the OECD, surveyed 30,000 SMEs on the social media giant across 50 countries…