Reports last week highlighted the challenges in the commercial property market, particularly in the offices sector, with some prized assets receiving offers well below the sale prices attached by agents, with banks moving on some borrowers who find they are in breach of their covenants. John McCartney is head of research at BNP Paribas Real Estate …

Inheritance tax has become something of a hot political issue, with hints of change coming in the budget supported by senior Fine Gael members who want to allow people to inherit more without being exposed to tax. But is this justified? Does it simply improve the lot of the better off in society? Or are there real anomalies that need to be addresse…

If you’re trying to buy a home, a report this week from estate agent Sherry FitzGerald on house prices and available stock won’t have lifted your mood. The supply of second-hand properties for sale in Ireland has fallen by almost a third since the pandemic, according to Sherry Fitz figures. And it found that annual house price inflation was running…

The high price of electric cars has long been seen as a barrier for those looking to switch from the traditional combustion-engine car to an EV, but that is now changing with many car makers slashing their prices. But what is driving prices down and what impact will it have on the second-hand EV market here? Irish Times writer specialising in motor…

The Covid-19 pandemic that hit in March 2020 hammered the Irish hospitality and retail sectors. One company that was directly in the firing line was Moriarty’s a family run craft shop and restaurant in the Gap of Dunloe in Kerry that was largely dependent on American visitors for its business. The company survived this near-death experience by beco…

On this episode of Inside Business we look at the €725 million funding plan the Government has agreed to provide to RTÉ over the next three years. Laura Slattery of The Irish Times sat down with RTÉ chief Kevin Bakhurst last week and not surprisingly he was “really pleased” with the settlement. Laura joined host Ciarán Hancock in studio to explain …

This week industrial peace broke out at Aer Lingus when pilots at the airline voted in favour of a pay proposal brokered by the Labour Court, ending weeks of industrial action that disrupted about 86,000 passengers of Aer Lingus. Ryanair also warned of weaker trading and profitability as passengers put a limit on how much they are prepared to pay f…

This week the Irish Tourism Industry Confederation, which represents the broad hospitality sector, made its pre-budget submission to Government. Among the asks, were a return to the 9 per cent VAT rate, more cash from the State to promote the industry and a lifting of the 32m passenger cap at Dublin Airport, the country’s main gateway for visitors.…

On Tuesday, the Government published its Summer Economic Statement, which provides a framework for tax and spending in October’s budget. We discovered that the budget will be framed around a massive tax and spending package of €8.3 billion. Strip out Covid and cost of living years, and that would make it one of the most generous in the history of t…

This week we are focusing on mortgages and housing supply. Host Ciarán Hancock is joined by an expert panel comprising Irish Times finance correspondent Joe Brennan, economics correspondent Eoin Burke-Kennedy and Home & Design Editor Fiona Reddan. Fiona Reddan profiles the typical Irish house buyer in the market. How old are they? Where are they bu…

On this week’s episode of Inside Business we start with Jack Chambers’ appointment as the new Minister for Finance following Michael McGrath’s nomination by the Government as Ireland’s next European Commissioner. So, who is Jack Chambers and why has he been given such a plum role in Cabinet? Irish Times Political Editor, Pat Leahy, charts the rise …

On this week’s episode of Inside Business, we begin with Aer Lingus, after pilots at the airline voted again on Monday to pursue industrial action over a long-running pay dispute with the company. On Tuesday, the pilots’ union Ialpa announced a work-to-rule that will begin on June 26th and run for an indefinite period. Barry O’Halloran of The Irish…

On this week’s episode of Inside Business, host Ciarán Hancock is joined by Irish Times economics correspondent Eoin Burke-Kennedy to discuss the three global mega-trends that he believes stoked the Irish housing crisis and what, if anything, can be done about it. Are government supports such as the Help to Buy Scheme pushing up house prices? Will …

The Irish Fiscal Advisory Council’s latest report has reiterated their stance that government spending plans risk overheating an economy already at full capacity. Is their plea for caution correct given the corporation tax receipt bonanza that shows little sign of abating in the short-term? Niall Conroy is chief economist with IFAC and he joined ho…

According to Conor Pope, Irish holidaymakers have been playing a game of chicken with airlines in recent weeks and – for once – it seems that the holiday makers are winning. With June on the horizon airlines have seats to sell with plenty of capacity at many accommodation options for the peak months. Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary recently…

Last weekend, Tony O’Reilly, one of Ireland’s leading businessmen, died at the age of 88 after a short illness. He had a hugely successful career both on the rugby pitch, as a star with Ireland and the Lions, and in the boardroom where he founded the Kerrygold butter brand, ran the Heinz food group in Pittsburgh for decades, and had a portfolio of …

Some 18,000 housing commencements were recorded in April. It’s a huge number and well up on the normal run rate. What was behind that spike? And do we have enough construction workers to build these homes and get to the magic 50,000 new homes a year target that we’re told we need to hit in order to meet demand? On this week’s episode of Inside Busi…

This episode of the Inside Business podcast looks at Ireland's commercial and residential property markets. In part one John McCartney, Director of Research at BNP Paribas Real Estate Ireland, discusses a significant surge in Dublin's office vacancies and the factors affecting office space demand, including the global economic downturn, a tech sect…

This week we take a deep dive into the issues impacting tech giant Apple. In the year to date, the iPhone maker's share price has fallen by more than 8 per cent, and about €300 billion has been wiped off its market value. Apple has ceded to Microsoft its status as the most valuable US company. This drop was spurred by declining sales in China, regu…

On this week’s Inside Business with Ciarán Hancock we look at Aviva’s plan to re-enter the Irish health insurance market and what that might mean for consumers. Will this deliver lower prices for hard pressed Irish consumers? Will it bring additional benefits in coverage? And is worth the hassle to switch for customers of VHI, Laya and Irish Life H…

On this week’s episode of Inside Business, host Ciarán Hancock is joined in studio by aviation entrepreneur Ulick McEvaddy. With his brother Des, Ulick has established a successful aviation business over the past 40 years called Omega. He and Des also own a large parcel of land beside Dublin Airport. Along with two other landowners, it amounts to 2…

On this week’s episode of the Inside Business podcast, we look at the pension pots that auto enrolment could deliver for workers on an average wage. The State is planning to establish the scheme for workers who do not already have pension cover in their workplace. It has been much delayed but is moving forward and EY this week crunched the numbers …

Figures from the Society of the Irish Motor Industry this week showed that electric car sales are in reverse, falling by 14 per cent year on year in March. This compared with double digit increases in the sales of petrol and hybrid car. Even diesel sales rose by 9 per cent. Meanwhile a survey by AA Ireland found that half of the 1000 respondents wo…

In this episode of Inside Business host Ciarán Hancock is joined in studio by Chief executive and founder of Cubic Telecom, Barry Napier. In a wide-ranging interview, Barry discusses his formative years in Ireland and Chicago, his early career before joining Cubic more than 15 years ago and the key entrepreneurial lessons he has learned along the w…

It feels like recent history repeating itself with TikTok again facing a ban in the US on national security grounds. A Bill passed through the House of Representatives last week requiring a change in ownership for the social media platform or it would face a total ban in the United States. What if the ban becomes a reality? Host Laura Slattery is j…