A SURGE in the supply of corporate debt in the riskiest investment-grade category may leave markets vulnerable to a rout if economic weakness triggers bouts of rating downgrades, according to the Bank for International Settlements. The BIS is the central bankers’ central bank and provides policy advice as well as acting as a forum for […]

The Exchequer surplus for February came in lower than expected at €139m, according to Department of Finance data issued yesterday. That compares with €217m a year ago and a forecast of a rise in the surplus to €325m by Cantor Fitzgerald. The Department of Finance said that there was an increase in non-voted current spending, […]

New figures from the Central Statistics Office show that the rate of unemployment fell to 5.6% in February, from the revised rate of 5.7% in January. Unemployment had stood at 5.8% in February 2018. The CSO said the seasonally adjusted number of people who were unemployed stood at 135,100 in February, down from 136,800 in […]

The European Central Bank (ECB) will hold an interest rate-setting meeting on Thursday when it will likely seek to reassure financial markets while not adding to panic setting in around Europe’s sluggish economic performance. Germany, France and Italy are now all flatlining economically, creating concerns that the eurozone economy may be headed for recession and […]

A new law to protect workers in casual and precarious employment comes into effect today, aimed at improving the security and predictability of working hours. A “band of hours” system is being introduced where an employee’s contract does not reflect actual hours worked. Under the legislation, a worker is now entitled to be placed on […]