Lending to euro zone companies continued to surge in May as firms relied heavily on bank credit to stay afloat amid the continent’s coronavirus-related lockdown, data from the European Central Bank showed today. With millions of people in stuck at home and much of the bloc’s economy mothballed, activity came to a standstill in March…
Tag Archives: Ireland’s economy
A survey of hoteliers has found that average national occupancy levels are set to dramatically fall from the highs of over 70% last year to just over 30% this year. Dublin occupancy levels are forecast to be down by half with regional levels down almost 40%. As a result, Dublin hotels expect to be…
A trade union has warned employers of an “industrial war” if they try to renege on pay and pension agreements with workers. It comes after the High Court yesterday deemed legislation allowing for the setting of legally enforceable pay and conditions for workers in various employment sectors to be unconstitutional. The Connect Trade Union, which represents workers…
Growth in the Irish economy averaged 5.2% per annum from 2013 to 2018, according to an analysis of new CSO data. In a Special Article for the ESRI, Professor John Fitzgerald describes a measure, called Net National Product, as the best picture of the “economic welfare of those living in Ireland”. For years, the traditional measure of…
Consumer sentiment improved in June for the second month in a row, but remains well below levels recorded before the onset of the COVID-19 crisis, a survey showed today. The KBC Bank consumer sentiment index climbed to 61.6 in June from 52.3 in May, but remains some distance from February’s pre-pandemic reading of 85.2. In…
The International Monetary Fund has further lowered its forecasts for global economic growth this year. In its World Economic Outlook published today, the IMF said economies around the world have been more negatively impacted in the first half of the year than it had anticipated and recovery has been more gradual than previously forecast. …
The impact of Covid-19 on how consumers are spending is recorded in the latest figures from the banking sector. In May, consumers spent €600 million using contactless payments, the highest monthly figure on record. The figures were compiled by Banking and Payments Federation Ireland. Every day in May, more than €19 million was spent using…
Decisions taken in the next six months will impact the small and medium enterprise sector for the next five years, according to a treasury specialist who works closely with the sector. John Finn, Managing Director of Treasury Solutions – which helps businesses deal with a range of issues including cash flow, lending and currency management…
A new report warns that up to 50% of restaurants in Ireland face closure unless an emergency grant aid package is issued by the Government. The latest Restaurants Association of Ireland report also warns that recently promoted staycations or weekends away will not be an option if the tourism and hospitality industry is not supported….
465,900 people are now receiving the Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment – a drop of 32,800 over the last week. This is according to the latest figures from the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection today. At the peak of the Covid-19 crisis, 598,000 people who had lost their jobs were claiming the Pandemic Unemployment Payment. Since…