Around 8,000 Irish investors have been told they cannot access funds they have invested in a €1.26 billion German supermarket property fund for a year or more as it addresses liquidity issues following a spike in redemption requests. Ian Curran has the story.
The State has no such issues after a record haul of corporation tax receipts in November. Eoin Burke-Kennedy writes that the €10 billion taken in last month is equal to what full year corporation tax was less than a decade ago. And he analyses what the numbers mean for the Government, budgeting and wider tax policy.
That came as it published a report on accelerating the delivery of infrastructure. It was welcomed by the construction sector and the wider business community, writes Barry O’Halloran, but all caution that the State needs to adhere to clear timelines and certainty to allow them commit to big projects.
Whether the plan can overcome the traditionally sluggish delivery of large and necessary infrastructure projects is also the subject on our Inside Business podcast where Accelerating Infrastructure Taskforce member and IDA Ireland chairman Feargal O’Rourke joins host Cliff Taylor.
A Bank of Ireland survey finds that aspiring homeowners are no longer very concerned about their ability to meet mortgage payments, given the very high rents they are paying every month these days. The bigger issue is whether they can actually borrow enough to buy homes in the first place as prices keep rising. Hugh Dooley reports.
Access to homes will be even more difficult after the High Court has quashed An Coimisiún Pleanála’s decision to grant permission for a 422-unit build-to-rent housing development in south Dublin because some of the apartments do not have access to a private balcony.
Spending on clothing and gambling jumped in October, helped in part by demand for Halloween costume hire, contributing to a sharp rise in overall credit and debit card usage, writes Ian Curran.
Also in the money was the new operator of the five-star Shelbourne Hotel on Dublin’s St Stephen’s Green with generated revenues of €10.12 million in its first two months of running the hotel last year – or €163,344 a day. Gordon Deegan reports.
Away from domestic travails, Donald Trump said he would announce his pick to lead the Federal Reserve “early next year”, as he touted Kevin Hassett, the top White House economic official, as the “potential” new head of the US central bank.
Companies in Ireland say they are more likely to invest in research and development after Budget 2026 increased the value of the R&D tax credit. Hugh Dooley reads through KPMG’s report on the subject.
Maths teacher Gavin Doyle has developed Examinaite, an AI-powered Leaving Certificate revision app designed to offer a more personalised and engaging learning experience. He is this week’s New Innovator.
Emmet Ryan takes a look at what might appear under the Christmas trees in Irish homes this year, including AI toys that can actually transmit data and generate all kinds of inappropriate responses. It’s all a throwback to when the US national security agency banned Furbys from certain buildings over fears they could be used for espionage.
And whether you’re buying for busy kids, fitness fanatics or smartphone addicts, Ciara O’Brien has tech gifts to inspire.
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