Sterling steadied near two-week lows against the dollar and euro as fears of a second wave of coronavirus hit risk sentiment and global markets. Investors were also nervous ahead of a key meeting on Brexit negotiations. A fresh coronavirus outbreak in China and rising infection numbers in the United States – even as major economies…
Tag Archives: lockdown
The OECD has said that the Irish economy is set to contract strongly in the first half of this year due to the Covid-19 lockdown as it urged the Government to be prepared to extend existing support measures if required. In its latest economic outlook, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development said that GDP…
The COVID-19 pandemic and its subsequent disruptions have led to more job losses and an erosion of income. This has led to a downswing in the property industry as the number of buyers has dropped significantly, property prices have become unstable, homeowners have become financially incapacitated, and consequently, have compelled Irish Banks to grant them…
The level of mortgage approvals fell substantially in April, according to the latest figures from the Banking and Payments Federation. The figures are reflective of the fact that the property market has all but stalled in recent months as the Covid-related shutdown of the economy took effect. Just 2,200 mortgages were approved in April with…
Take-home grocery sales experienced the fastest rate of growth in 15 years over the past 12 weeks, jumping by a quarter, according to new data from Kantar. But the boost in take-home purchases was offset somewhat by reduced outlays by consumers on on-the-go meals, drinks and snacks. “The jump in grocery sales over the most…
The Government has been advised to introduce a “significant” stimulus plan for the economy, once the immediate Covid-19 crisis is over. However, the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (IFAC|) has also warned that “all options must be kept on the table”, including spending cuts and tax rises to bring the public finances back in line once…
New figures from the Central Statistics Office show “an unprecedented collapse” in overseas travel to and from Ireland in April as the effects of the Covid-19 crisis deepened. The CSO reported just 16,100 arrivals in April and 17,800 departures. This compares with monthly travel of more than 1.7 million in each direction the same time…
The number of people receiving the Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment has fallen to 579,400 – a drop of 5,200 over the last week. Of these, 33,400 are receiving their last payment as they are returning to work. These figures are on top of the 214,700 people receiving Jobseekers’ Benefit at the end of April. Today’s…
The Labour Court is to convene virtual case hearings for the first time from 2 June in order to comply with public health guidelines on the coronavirus. The majority of currently scheduled hearings involve industrial relations matters and will be heard in private. However, in a statement, the Labour Court says it is satisfied that…
More workers should be facilitated to work from home in order to improve their chances of retaining their jobs, according to the Economic and Social Research Institute. In their report “Who Can Work From Home in Ireland”, authors Paul Redmond and Seamus McGuinness note that 800,000 workers are currently unemployed or furloughed because of Covid-19….