News

Oil prices rose today but were set for a fourth successive weekly decline, as signs of disappointing global fuel demand growth outweighed fears of supply disruptions. Brent crude futures gained 55 cents, or 0.7%, to $80.08 a barrel this morning, while US West Texas Intermediate crude futures CLc1 rose 57 cents, or 0.8%, to $76.89. […]

The Federal Reserve held interest rates steady this evening but opened the door to reducing borrowing costs as soon as its next meeting in September as inflation continues coming into line with its 2% target. “There has been some further progress toward the Committee’s 2% objective,” the central bank’s Federal Open Market Committee said in […]

From today, Parent’s Leave and Parent’s Benefit will be extended from seven weeks to nine weeks. The measures were announced as part of Budget 2024. Parents will be able to claim the additional two weeks’ leave if their child is under the age of two, or if an adopted child has been placed with a […]

Activity in the manufacturing sector improved slightly in July, according to new data. The latest AIB Manufacturing PMI shows that the marginal improvement in the sector was driven by a renewed rise in output and accelerating jobs growth. Meanwhile, the contraction in new orders eased on the previous month. The headline index increased from 47.4 […]

Children’s charity Barnardos has called on the Government to introduce a suite of measures to assist parents with back-to-school costs. They include a voluntary contribution code of practice, extension of the free book scheme to all secondary school students, affordable uniform options, an increased back-to-school allowance for parents on low income and a digital education […]

Almost €400m in new lending for the construction of new homes was approved by the State’s building finance body in the first half of 2024. That will go towards the construction of just over 2,700 housing units, according to Home Building Finance Ireland. It brings to €2.05 billion the amount approved by the HBFI since […]

A plan to transform the rail system on the island of Ireland through electrification, additional track capacity, increased speeds and more frequent services is to be published. The final report from the All-Island Strategic Rail Review sets out a vision up to 2050 and was jointly commissioned by authorities north and south. The cost of […]

The latest “flash” estimate of inflation from the Central Statistics Office shows that the annual rate came in at 1.5% in the year to July, unchanged from a more than three-year low in June. The rate of 1.5% compares with an annual increase of 2.5% in the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices (HICP) for the […]

There has been an increase in the number of workers in Ireland who cannot afford a week’s holiday away from home, either in their own country or abroad, according to new research. Analysis of EU data for the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) has found that in 2022, an estimated 14.8% of Irish workers could […]

There was a 14.4% increase in professional job openings in the second quarter of the year compared to the previous quarter, according to new data. The latest Quarterly Employment Monitor from recruitment firm Morgan McKinley shows that the surge in vacancies was primarily observed during April and May, with a slight downturn in June. The […]