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Billionaire Michael Bloomberg has told an audience in Dublin that Brexit was the single stupidest thing any country has ever done, adding that “it’s hard to believe how they did it.” Mr Bloomberg was addressing a conference entitled ‘The Bloomberg Advantage: Future of Finance in Ireland’ which was held in Bloomberg’s Dublin offices. “Ireland has […]

The European Central Bank can further cut interest rates at a time of huge volatility in energy markets, policymaker Francois Villeroy de Galhau told the Financial Times in an interview published today. “If we look at the present assessment of markets so far, inflation expectations remain moderate,” he said, adding that a confirmation of ceasefire […]

Analysis: We’re near the top of this league table due to economic growth, rising demand, government policies and unique socio-geographic characteristics Ireland is the second most expensive country in Europe, a fact that probably doesn’t surprise many people living here. Only Denmark had a higher consumer price level, with the cost of Irish goods and […]

Six out of ten workers in Ireland expect a pay rise this year, according to a survey by FRS Recruitment. That came as employees here felt more confident in their roles, with only 38% fearing for their job security compared to 47% a year ago. At the same time, 70% of workers believed they could […]

Analysis: Two key factors will determine if oil prices – and the price you pay for petrol and diesel – increase a little or rise a lot this week The price we pay for petrol and diesel in Ireland is significantly influenced by events occurring thousands of kilometres from our shores. This week, it is […]

Asking prices for houses have risen by an average of 12.3% to €357,851 in the past year, according to the latest Daft.ie House Price Report. The report notes that this rate of house-price inflation is the highest since the Central Bank’s mortgage-lending rules were introduced in 2015. The rules, which are still in effect, limit […]

Britain’s government borrowed less over the first two months of the 2025/26 financial year than official budget forecasters had expected, helped by an influx of taxes paid by businesses after a recent hike in social security contributions. Official data today showed public sector borrowing for May stood at £17.686 billion. While a Reuters poll of […]

European officials are increasingly resigned to a 10% rate on “reciprocal” tariffs being the baseline in any trade deal between the US and the European Union, five sources familiar with the negotiations said. President Donald Trump has announced wide-ranging tariffs on trade partners and wants to reduce the US goods trade deficit with the EU. […]

One in three first time buyer (FTB) homes were valued over €400,000 in 2024, three times the 2019 share, according to the latest BPFI mortgage report. The Mortgage Market Profile Report H2 2024, by Banking and Payments Federation Ireland shows that there has been a significant increase in FTB property and mortgage values between 2019 […]

Wealth grew disproportionately quickly last year in the US, where over 379,000 people became new US dollar millionaires, more than a 1,000 a day, a new report shows. Private individuals’ net worth rose 4.6% worldwide, and by over 11% in the Americas, driven by a stable US dollar and upbeat financial markets, the 2025 Global […]