The Swiss National Bank cut its interest rate to zero today in response to falling inflation, appreciation pressure on the Swiss franc and economic uncertainty caused by the US administration’s unpredictable trade policy. The SNB reduced its policy rate by 25 basis points from 0.25%, as expected by markets and a Reuters poll. It was […]
The Central Bank is revising downwards its forecast for how many homes will be built this year and over the following two years. It expects 32,500 will be finished this year, a reduction of 1,500 on its previous forecast last March. It says 37,500 will be completed next year, down 2,500 from its last projection, […]
The Climate Change Advisory Council (CCAC) is recommending that the Government provides an additional €10,000 in grants to low income households for the purchase of electric vehicles, particularly in areas with limited access to public transport. It is also calling for scrappage schemes and other transport-related incentives to help accelerate the switch to battery-electric vehicles […]
Airfares from Europe to the United States have dropped to rates not seen since before the Covid-19 pandemic, as travellers from Western Europe lead a pullback in travel to the US that is expected to continue until at least next month. Overseas arrivals to the United States fell 2.8% in May from a year ago, […]
Rollout of generative AI and agents will reduce Amazon’s total corporate workforce in the next few years, Andy Jassy, CEO of the online retailer has said in a note to employees. Artificial intelligence is reshaping the global workforce by automating routine and repetitive tasks, and industry leaders expect this to prompt a reduction or transformation […]
New figures from the Central Statistics Office show that households saved 14% of their income in the first three months of this year. This saving rate was down from 14.8% in the fourth quarter of 2024. The CSO said the saving adds to overall household wealth in the form of buying new homes, growing bank […]
Essential minimum living costs increased by 1.8% in the past year with a cumulative increase of 18.8% nationally since 2020. The figures are contained in the annual Minimum Essential Standard of Living (MESL) report published by the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul. The research team found that households with older children (second-level age) were […]
The State has sold its remaining shares in AIB, Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe said today. The State sold a 2.06% stake in AIB at a price of €6.94 per share. This will generate about €305.3m upon settlement and brings to €19.8 billion the total amount returned to the State to date from its investment […]
A new survey reveals that 29% of adults in Ireland said they could not last a full hour without the internet. The annual Connected Lives survey from broadband and telecoms provider Pure Telecom also reveals that 40% of people would turn down €5m in cash if it meant they could never use the internet again. […]
Euro zone inflation is now on target and no sustained undershooting is likely but the ECB should keep all of its options open for future policy moves amid exceptional uncertainty, Bundesbank President Joachim Nagel said today. The ECB has cut interest rates eight times since last June but signalled a pause in policy easing for […]
