Exports of medical and pharmaceutical products jumped by almost 74% in May to €13.7 billion when compared with the same month last year, according to the latest figures from the Central Statistics Office. The CSO says medical and pharmaceutical products accounted for over half (58.7%) of all goods exported in May, with the total value…

Next week the Government will publish a review of its National Development Plan, which adds €20bn to spending. David Murphy explains why is it crucial to dealing with the housing crisis. What is the National Development Plan? The National Development Plan is the Government’s scheme to build infrastructure such as roads, rail, electricity connections and…

British annual wage growth, excluding bonuses, was slightly higher than expected at 5% in the three months to May, official figures showed today while a sharp drop in employee numbers was much less drastic than first reported. Overall, the figures suggest Britain’s labour market is cooling, but perhaps less rapidly than the Bank of England…

Bank of Ireland has revised upwards its economic forecasts for the year, if US tariffs remain at 10%. It predicts GDP growth of 8.5%, higher that the 3.5% growth previously forecast. The bank says modified domestic demand will grow to 2.9% (previously 2.8%) and employment will grow to 2.6% (1.8%) in 2025. There is one…

The European Commission has proposed a €2 trillion EU budget for 2028 to 2034, placing a new emphasis on economic competitiveness and defence while aiming to reform the rules around farm and economic development subsidies. “It is a budget that matches Europe’s ambition, that confronts Europe’s challenges and that strengthens our independence,” European Commission President…

Crypto stocks jumped this week as crytocurrency Bitcoin soared past $120,000 for the first time. Today, Bitcoin added about 1% to $117,696, as it stabilised following its 6% pullback earlier this week from Monday’s all-time high at $123,153.22. But why did Bitcoin reach record highs this week? It’s been on a steady rise over the…

Analysis: All you need to know about one of the very taxes where what you pay is directly linked to your future entitlements We’ve all been there. You look at your payslip, see all the deductions and wonder where your money’s going. One of those deductions is PRSI. It’s a small amount, it’s easy to…

Britain’s annual rate of consumer price inflation unexpectedly rose to its highest in over a year at 3.6% in June, official figures showed today, potentially making it a tougher call for the Bank of England to cut interest rates next month. June’s reading from the Office for National Statistics took the annual CPI rate to…

The European Commission has said it was putting forward a new list of US goods worth €72 billion that could be targeted by EU levies if tariff talks with Washington fail. The bloc’s trade chief, Commissioner Maros Sefcovic, announced the proposal, “accounting for some 72 billion euros’ worth of US imports”, at a meeting with…

Bitcoin surpassed $120,000 for the first time today, marking a milestone for the world’s largest cryptocurrency as investors bet on long-sought policy wins for the industry this week. Bitcoin scaled a record high of $123,153.22 before pulling back slightly to trade 2.4% higher around $122,000. Later in the day, the US House of Representatives will…