Borrowers bask in latest ECB rate cut

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A man walks past a giant Euro logo at the visitor centre of the European Central Bank (ECB) headquarters in Frankfurt. The ECB cut interest rates again on Thursday, Photograph: KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP via Getty Images
A man walks past a giant Euro logo at the visitor centre of the European Central Bank (ECB) headquarters in Frankfurt. The ECB cut interest rates again on Thursday, Photograph: KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP via Getty Images

Business Today

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The ECB has cut interest rates once again, but what does it all mean for mortgage holders? Conor Pope goes through the fallout for borrowers, while Eoin Burke-Kennedy looks at the wider ramifications of the cut, and what may come next.

Politicians failed to tackle key industry concerns when they passed new gambling laws this week, claims Paddy Power owner Flutter Entertainment. As Barry O’Halloran reports, the Gambling Regulation Bill, which modernises the law to boost consumer rights and establishes a new authority to oversee the industry, passed the final stages in the Oireachtas on Wednesday.

Tourist chiefs want Government to double spending on the industry to more than €450 million, according to a new policy document. The Irish Tourism Industry Confederation (ITIC) points out in a new General Election Manifesto that the sector employs 258,000, making it the State’s biggest regional employer. Barry has the details.

In Smart Money, Cliff Taylor looks at why the legacy of the crash lives on in mortgage arrears data more than 15 years after the infamous bank guarantee.

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In Agenda, Colm Keena reports on how a Chinese-owned biotech plant in Dundalk is at the centre of the growing geopolitical battle between China and the US.

In the interview of the week, Ciaran Hancock sits down with Eason boss Liam Hanly to discuss the state of the storied business.

Members of the Rohan family shared a €10 million dividend from their property development business last year, newly filed accounts show. Pretax profits at Airspace Investments and Subsidiaries, a holding company for the Rohan group’s property ventures, fell to €5.8 million last year from €29 million in 2022, according to its latest annual return. Barry has the story.

More than a quarter of schoolchildren say they spend too much time online and struggle to switch off from games and apps, new research has found. The survey, which was conducted by online safety charity CyberSafeKids, found more than half of those aged between eight and 12 years old felt they spent excessive amounts of time online, rising to almost two-thirds among those aged 12 to 14. Ciara O’Brien reports.

The prospect of an NFL American football fixture being held in Dublin is “under active consideration” among members of the Government, Minister for Tourism and Sport Catherine Martin has said. “I would say it’s under active consideration,” the Green Party TD told reporters. “I think we’ve seen the absolute benefit in real terms of the college football, so you can imagine what [an NFL game] would do.” Ian Curran was there.

Cairn Homes has confirmed it is to lodge a new Large Scale Residential Development (LRD) planning application with Dublin City Council for its €107.5 million former RTÉ site next year. Gordon Deegan has seen the plans.

Finally Peter Jackson, chief executive of Dublin-based but New York-listed betting giant Flutter Entertainment, has been chosen as Business Person of the Month for September, an award run in association with Bank of Ireland.

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