The US Federal Reserve has cut interest rates, as expected, but Fed Chair Jerome Powell said more reductions in borrowing costs now hinge on further progress in lowering stubbornly high inflation. His latest remarks showed that policymakers are starting to reckon with the prospects for sweeping economic changes under a Trump administration. Powell’s explicit –…

Property prices are continuing to increase and are up 9.7% in the 12 months to October, according to the latest figures from the Central Statistics Office. Prices in Dublin were up 10.4%. while the cost of buying a home outside the capital rose 9.2%. The figures come a week after the Economic and Social Research…

Black Friday sales are an established part of the Irish retail calendar, as demonstrated by a Bank of Ireland report which shows spending by its customers on the day was up 6.8% on last year. Overall spending in the month of November was up 5.6% compared to the same month in 2023. The report found…

Holyhead Port is to remain closed until 15 January at the earliest, it has been announced. All ferry services between Dublin and Holyhead are cancelled until this time. In a statement, the port said the closure follows damage to the Terminal 3 berth on 6 December, during Storm Darragh. It acknowledged that the closure of…

New figures from the Central Statistics Office show an annual decrease of 10.9% in the total number of dwelling units approved in the third quarter of this year, with the number falling to 8,611 units from 9,662 units the same time last year. The CSO said that houses accounted for 61% of all homes granted…

A single person would need a pension of €33,600 a year, and a couple would need €43,200 a year, in order to have a “comfortable” retirement. The figures are contained in a new report on Irish retirement living standards released by the Pensions Council which was prepared and researched by KPMG. It shows that for…

New figures from the Central Statistics Office show that exports of goods for the first ten months of the year came to €187 billion, an increase of 13% on the same time last year. But imports have fallen by €4 billion in the months from January to October compared with the first 10 months of…

Europe’s labour market softened in the third quarter, data releases showed today, pointing to a further decline in inflation pressures that could justify more interest rate cuts. The rise in euro zone labour costs slowed to 4.6% in the third quarter from 5.2% three months earlier while the jobs vacancy rate slipped to 2.5% from…

Ireland is one of 22 EU member states who are failing to comply with EU rules on professional qualifications, according to the European Commission. The Commission has opened infringement procedures by sending formal letters of notice to the countries. The rules are designed to make it easier for professionals to provide their services on a…

Fuel prices increased again this month, the latest AA Ireland Fuel Survey reveals. Petrol prices rose by a cent to an average of €1.74 per litre, while diesel prices increased by three cents this month to €1.71 per litre. AA Ireland noted that crude oil prices remain steady month on month at around $73 a…