Archive for March 2025

The euro zone economy grew by 0.9% in 2024, revised data showed today, higher than a previous estimate of 0.7%. The EU’s official statistics agency also revised growth for the fourth quarter of 2024 for the second time to 0.2% in the 20-country single currency area, from 0.1% estimated in February. Eurostat in January had…

More than three quarters (78%) of Irish adults are being targeted with scam text messages, emails, phone calls or online content at least once a month, according to new research by the Banking & Payments Federation of Ireland’s FraudSmart initiative. The survey of 1,000 people found mobile phones were the main channel for scam communications,…

More than half a million people are facing travel disruption at German airports today where a 24-hour strike has led to thousands of flight cancellations in a dispute about workers’ pay. The operator of Frankfurt airport, Germany’s busiest, said no passenger flights would depart from there today, with delays and cancellations also possible tomorrow. Of…

The domestic economy grew by a healthy 2.7% last year, according to the latest figures from the Central Statistics Office. Gross Domestic Product, which includes the multinationals activity, rose by 1.2% in 2024. Personal spending on goods and services, a key indicator of the domestic economy rose 2.3%, while wages grew by 2.9%. Modified investment…

US President Donald Trump yesterday signed an executive order to establish a strategic bitcoin reserve, a day before meeting with executives from the cryptocurrency industry at the White House. The reserve will be capitalised with bitcoin owned by the federal government that was forfeited as part of criminal or civil asset forfeiture proceedings, the White…

January saw the first year-on-year decline in first-time buyer approval volumes since June 2024, new figures from Banking & Payments Federation Ireland show today. Today’s figures show that a total of 3,395 mortgages were approved in January 2025, down by 5.5% on a monthly basis but up by 4.1% compared to the same time last…

Tax receipts in the first two months of this year are up 12% on the same time in 2024, indicating that the economy continues to power ahead. In addition, the State’s coffers benefitted from a €1.7 billion payment which was part of a settlement made by Apple. The payment related to the Court of Justice…

The Government is scenario planning for effects of tariffs being imposed on goods from Ireland by the Trump administration, according to the Minister for Public Expenditure Jack Chambers. He said the planning included looking at the consequences on “businesses, consumers and the broader economy”. Minister Chambers said tariffs “would impose serious costs on Irish citizens…

The damage wreaked by Storm Éowyn in January has caused many home and business owners to look at other sources of backup power for the next big storm. The most popular choice is a petrol or diesel generator. Both Government and opposition politicians have called for a supply of generators to be set up and…