Eurozone manufacturing growth eased in April but factories raised prices for the first time in eight months, according to a survey that also showed headcount rose at the fastest pace in nearly four years.

Any signs of inflationary pressure will be welcomed by the European Central Bank, particularly as it only had a marginal impact on growth. Markit’s final April manufacturing Purchasing Manager’s Index (PMI) stood at 52.0, revised up …

Bank of Ireland has said it is seeing strong signs of growth in the retail, agri, motor, and property sectors after noting a 12% increase in new credit applications during the first quarter of this year.

New figures from the bank show it approved around €1.24bn in new credit to SME customers during the first three months of 2015.

This figure doesn’t include the restructuring of existing loans and marks …

For those who study economics, at any level, one of the first things you learn about are the four factors of production: Land, labour, capital, and enterprise, writes Jim Power.

In the real world, these factors of production are utilised and combined to generate economic activity, and then policymakers decide how the fruits of economic growth are utilised and divided up among members of society.

An economy is said to …

Exporters’ reputation as the economic engine of the country was further cemented yesterday as figures revealed that exports hit record levels in 2014.

Irish companies sold an all-time high €18.6bn worth of goods and services last year, with growth of 10% spread across all sectors.

The figures, released by Enterprise Ireland as part of the Government’s latest update on the action plan for jobs, illustrate the steady growth of the …

The eurozone ended four months of deflation in April, with consumer prices unchanged from year-ago levels, removing the threat of persistent price declines as energy costs pushed up in the month.

Consumer prices in the 19 countries that share the euro were flat in April from a year earlier after a 0.1% decline in March, the European Union’s statistics office Eurostat estimated.

The bottoming out of price declines is likely …

The European Central Bank’s quantitative easing programme (QE), aimed at stimulating the eurozone economy, has adversely affected Bank of Ireland, by driving up the deficit in its defined benefit pension schemes by €700m.

In a trading update, covering the year to date and published yesterday to coincide with its AGM, Bank of Ireland noted that the value of the assets in its defined benefit schemes increased over 10%, year-on-year in …

Unemployment is still expected to fall below 10% this quarter, despite fresh data showing no change in April — only the third time in two years that the jobless rate hasn’t declined on a month-to-month basis.

Yesterday’s latest Live Register figures from the CSO showed that on a seasonally adjusted basis 1,800 more people came off the register, reducing the total to 349,500. The standardised unemployment rate in April was …

Cost pressures, skills shortages and a potential ‘Brexit’ are among the chief risks Irish exporters currently face, according to the head of their representative body.

Irish Exporters Association (IEA) chief executive, Simon McKeever said exporters’ cost base remains an issue with energy costs and rates compounding the cost of labour which remains the biggest issue.

A lack of skills across a host of support roles which, together, form the foundation …

Ireland will lose more than even the UK if it exits the EU, according to a detailed study by a German think-tank.

The Republic, with all other EU member states, will also end up paying more into the EU budget, as the UK pays €8.5bn more than it receives, which amounts to 0.5% of its GDP.

The report by Bertelsmann Stiftung is the first to consider the economic effect under …

A single digital market encompassing the whole EU has potential to add up to €250bn to GDP and create hundreds of thousands of jobs over the coming years.

The Cybersecurity & Privacy Innovation Forum played host to more than 500 Irish and European business leaders, academics and industry leaders in Brussels yesterday — all of whom heard that trust and security would be the cornerstones of any such arrangement.

“Millions …