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UK GDP slumped slightly less than first thought in Q2

Britain’s economy shrank by a record 19.8% in the second quarter of 2020 when Covid-19 lockdown measures were in force. This was a slightly smaller decline than an initial estimate of a 20.4% fall in output, official figures showed today.  Output during the three months to the end of June was 21.5% lower than a year…

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September consumer confidence sees modest improvement

Consumer sentiment improved marginally in September, recovering about half of the decline seen in August, a new survey shows today. The KBC Bank Ireland consumer sentiment index increased to 60.7 in September, a 1.8 percentage point gain that followed a 3.7 point drop in August. The September reading remains well above the low-point of 42.6…

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Monthly mortgage approvals rise by 14% in August

New figures from Banking and Payments Federation Ireland show that the monthly growth trend in the number of approved mortgages continued in August, while they continued to be lower on an annual basis. The BPFI figures show that a total of 3,875 mortgages were approved in August. This marked an increase of 14.1% from July…

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EU rebuffs UK attempts to accelerate trade talks

The EU has rebuffed attempts by the British government to intensify and accelerate negotiations in order to reach a future trade agreement by mid-October, RTÉ News understands. The ninth round of future relationship negotiations gets underway tomorrow in Brussels, with both sides at odds over the prospects for a breakthrough. Late last week Downing Street…

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More than 1,300 businesses sign up for ‘Stay and Spend’ scheme

More than 1,300 businesses have registered for the Government’s Stay and Spend initiative, which aims to get people spending locally after the Covid-19 pandemic all but wiped out foreign holidays this year. However, there are significant differences in the number of businesses signing up in different areas of the country. About 350 of the total…

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EU rebuffs UK attempts to accelerate trade talks

The EU has rebuffed attempts by the British government to intensify and accelerate negotiations in order to reach a future trade agreement by mid-October, RTÉ News understands. The ninth round of future relationship negotiations gets underway tomorrow in Brussels, with both sides at odds over the prospects for a breakthrough. Late last week Downing Street…

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Sterling edges higher after Sunak announces new job support scheme

Sterling edged higher today after British finance minister Rishi Sunak announced a new job support scheme, but said the government won’t save every job.  Against the dollar, sterling was up 0.2% at $1.2751, after hitting a two-month low of $1.2676 yesterday. Against the euro, sterling was up 0.2% at 91.4 pence.  In a choppy session, the…

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Living with Covid requires long-term government support – Chambers Ireland

A new survey from Chambers Ireland shows that companies are still reporting a 32% decline in turnover despite the re-opening of most of the economy after the Covid-19 restrictions. The new Chambers Ireland survey captured over 860 responses during the lead up to the imposition of new restrictions on activity in Dublin.  The survey found…

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Economic outlook ‘less dire’ than forecast – IMF

The global economic outlook is less bleak than in June, an IMF spokesman has said, signaling that the organisation’s forecast will be raised when it is released next month. “The recent incoming data suggests that the outlook may be somewhat less dire than at the time of the (World Economic Outlook) update on June 24…

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