591,000 people are now receiving the Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment, with around 21,000 receiving it for the first time this week. That is on top of around 212,000 eligible for standard “non-Covid” Jobseekers benefit of €203 per week, and 337,400 receiving income support through the Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme. The Minister for Employment Affairs and…
Tag Archives: Mark Kennedy & Co.
The Central Bank has said that small and medium-sized businesses will need up to €5.7 billion in emergency cash as a result of the Coronavirus lockdown to cover costs. The deputy governor of the Central Bank, Ed Sibley, said that SMEs have a really important role to play in the Irish economy, both socially and…
A new survey shows that with the country more or less in full lockdown, job losses soaring and incomes under pressure, consumer and business confidence both sank in April. The Bank of Ireland Economic Pulse came in at 34.3 in April, the lowest reading in its history. The index, which combines the results of the…
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,…
EU leaders have set a target of two weeks to reach agreement on a trillion euro plus recovery plan for countries stricken by the coronavirus pandemic. This follows a four hour video conference today. The plan will involve leveraging the EU’s one trillion euro seven year budget in order to provide loans and grants to the…
New figures show that digital advertising spend in the Irish market for 2019 rose by 17% to reach €673m, but the outbreak of Covid-19 will hit spending this year. The latest IAB PwC Online Adspend report shows that display advertising grew by 30% to €326m last year, driven by the growth of Social – which…
The European Commission has said it is to implement a series of measures to assist the agri-food sector as a result of the impact of Covid-19. In a statement issued from Brussels, the Agriculture Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski sad that he had decided to take what he called “swift action” because of the impact of the virus…
New figures from the Environmental Protection Agency show that greenhouse gas emissions from Irish power generation and industrial companies fell by 8.7% last year. This mirrors a decrease of about 8.9% across Europe in 2019 and comes despite the country’s strong economic growth during the year. The EPA said the decrease in emissions was due…
Oil prices extended their gains today amid signs that producers are cutting production to cope with a collapse in demand for fuel as the coronavirus outbreak ravages the world’s economies. Brent crude was up 33 cents, or 1.6%, at $20.70 a barrel in early trade after rising more than 5% yesterday. US West Texas Intermediate…
Minister for Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform Paschal Donohoe has said that at the end of the 12-week introduction period he will be “tapering and changing” the Covid-19 pandemic welfare subsidies. Mr Donohoe said the welfare subsidies “cannot be sustained indefinitely”, but they can be sustained for long enough to allow incomes to be protected “for…