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European stocks recorded their worst quarterly showing in more than two years today, as uncertainty around interest rates and the Trump administration’s policies halted a rally that had pushed several markets to record highs this year. The pan-European STOXX 600 added 0.6% on the final trading session of the year, but clocked a quarterly decline…

House prices nationally rose by an average of 9% during 2024, according to the latest house price report by Daft.ie. The typical listed price nationwide in the final quarter of 2024 was €332,109, 1.4% higher than in the third quarter of the year and 30% higher than at the onset of the pandemic. Prices rose…

Property prices are continuing to increase and are up 9.7% in the 12 months to October, according to the latest figures from the Central Statistics Office. Prices in Dublin were up 10.4%. while the cost of buying a home outside the capital rose 9.2%. The figures come a week after the Economic and Social Research…

The US Federal Reserve has cut interest rates, as expected, but Fed Chair Jerome Powell said more reductions in borrowing costs now hinge on further progress in lowering stubbornly high inflation. His latest remarks showed that policymakers are starting to reckon with the prospects for sweeping economic changes under a Trump administration. Powell’s explicit –…

Black Friday sales are an established part of the Irish retail calendar, as demonstrated by a Bank of Ireland report which shows spending by its customers on the day was up 6.8% on last year. Overall spending in the month of November was up 5.6% compared to the same month in 2023. The report found…

Holyhead Port is to remain closed until 15 January at the earliest, it has been announced. All ferry services between Dublin and Holyhead are cancelled until this time. In a statement, the port said the closure follows damage to the Terminal 3 berth on 6 December, during Storm Darragh. It acknowledged that the closure of…

New figures from the Central Statistics Office show an annual decrease of 10.9% in the total number of dwelling units approved in the third quarter of this year, with the number falling to 8,611 units from 9,662 units the same time last year. The CSO said that houses accounted for 61% of all homes granted…

A single person would need a pension of €33,600 a year, and a couple would need €43,200 a year, in order to have a “comfortable” retirement. The figures are contained in a new report on Irish retirement living standards released by the Pensions Council which was prepared and researched by KPMG. It shows that for…

Ireland is one of 22 EU member states who are failing to comply with EU rules on professional qualifications, according to the European Commission. The Commission has opened infringement procedures by sending formal letters of notice to the countries. The rules are designed to make it easier for professionals to provide their services on a…

Europe’s labour market softened in the third quarter, data releases showed today, pointing to a further decline in inflation pressures that could justify more interest rate cuts. The rise in euro zone labour costs slowed to 4.6% in the third quarter from 5.2% three months earlier while the jobs vacancy rate slipped to 2.5% from…