Oil prices were broadly steady today but were headed for their third weekly loss as production shutdowns failed to keep pace with sliding demand due to the coronavirus crisis. Brent crude was up 18 cents, or 0.84%, to $21.51 so far today, having risen 5% yesterday, while US oil was steady at $16.50 a barrel,…
Tag Archives: lockdown
Europe’s banks are expected to have to set aside billions for potential loan losses as well as take profit hits because of the coronavirus crisis when they start reporting results over the next two weeks. The region’s banks were already under pressure before the crisis with high costs, low returns, and demands to fix outdated…
A new report from stockbrokers Davy said that while the outbreak of Covid-19 presents significant challenges, Ireland’s economy should prove to be far more resilient relative to the rest of Europe than it did in the last downturn. The stockbrokers noted that recent years have been characterised by a lack of credit demand, mainly due to…
Former IMF deputy director general Donal Donovan said he believes it is possible for a “fairly quick rebound” once the coronavirus crisis passes and confidence returns to the Irish economy. Mr Donavan said that this crisis is quite unlike the situation in 2008/2009, when banks went bust, the construction industry collapsed and there was huge…
The International Monetary Fund is forecasting that Ireland’s economy will decline by 6.8% in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) terms this year, as a result of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. The figure is contained in the IMF’s World Economic Outlook, published today. The IMF believes that unemployment in Ireland will average 12.1% this year and 7.9% in 2021….
The International Monetary Fund has announced immediate debt relief for 25 poor countries to help them free up funds to fight the coronavirus pandemic. “This provides grants to our poorest and most vulnerable members to cover their IMF debt obligations for an initial phase over the next six months and will help them channel more…
The insurance industry has announced a suite of measures aimed at helping personal and business customers through the difficulties posed by the Covid-19 pandemic. They include a reduction in premiums for business customers that will reflect the reduced level of exposure they have as a result of the restrictions as well as flexibility for those…
The Covid-19 unemployment payments will cost the Government just under €5bn for three months, according to an analysis by the Economic and Social Research Institute. The ESRI also warns that the cap on higher earners in the wage subsidy scheme may encourage firms to lay off those employees rather than retaining them. The Government has introduced…