Irish businesses are eager to spend this year, with investment plans outstripping other northern European countries. A new Azets Business Planning survey shows almost half of companies here (48 per cent) have ambitions for increasing investment in areas that will bring long-term benefits. Even with increasingly volatile trading conditions. Barry O’Halloran has the detail.
Price pressures in the hospitality sector continue to push up inflation which reached 1.4 per cent last month. Eoin Burke-Kennedy reports on the latest consumer price index (CPI) which shows the rate rising 0.4 per cent for the month. Even still, the headline rate remained close to a three-year low and far from the days marked by rising energy costs.
DunPort Capital has completed the first close of its latest fund, a term denoting those that have become large enough to begin injecting capital into companies. This fund, writes Peter Flanagan, is aimed at small and medium-sized companies here and abroad. The Dublin-based firm’s €200 million Willow Corporate Credit is supported by a €100 million commitment from the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund (ISIF) among other backers.
Remember the rate of building during the Celtic Tiger? Who can forget, but many would welcome similar levels today given the stubbornly unrelenting housing crisis. Data reported on by Eoin Burke-Kennedy shows some positive indicators – 2024 housing commencements, at over 60,000, have now reached a level not seen since those early boom times. It is an 84 per cent increase on the 32,801 commencements recorded in 2023.
Don’t leave PRSI benefits on the table - they can save you thousands of euro
Irish businesses look toward 2025 investment, as inflation ticks up
For Avant Money CEO Niall Corbett it’s all about balance - ‘We have to lend money to make money.’
The Irish Times Business Person of the Month: Marc Murphy, Fenergo
When considered through the lens of recent research, Ireland’s cost of decarbonising and chasing net zero should cost us less than we thought. In his column, John FitzGerald looks at the four key reasons why, with much of it relating to investment to date. It is clear we won’t meet our 2030 target, he points out, but there has been significant progress. And it has not disrupted our way of life in any major way.
Meanwhile, reporting from the Wind Energy Ireland (WEI) conference, Kevin O’Sullivan notes comments from Ibec chief executive Danny McCoy who believes Ireland lacks an energy master plan for the years ahead. There may be no shortage of policy and strategy, he says, but the country lacks a “strategic vision”.
Solar panel and heat pump installer Ohk Energy has completed a fourth acquisition since the arrival in 2023 of Melior Equity Partners. Joe Brennan reports on the latest deal, this time for Crest Pro Power Pro-Ex Engineering, a provider of renewable technology solutions to commercial and industrial customers. There is a common shareholder in Sligo-based businessman Brian Healy. The deal means that since Melior stepped in, Ohk has laid out over €30 million in purchasing power.
On the eve of a new government, investor confidence is high. The National Treasury Management Agency (NTMA) fielded €36 billion worth of orders from international investors for just €3 billion of bonds. As Joe Brennan explains, the new issues are due to mature in 30 years and are priced to carry a yield of 3.154 per cent. Dave McEvoy, the NTMA’s director of funding and debt management, noted the “strong investor appetite”.
Overlooking the nearby marina and famous sand dunes, north Co Dublin’s picturesque Grand Hotel in Malahide has been sold. Its new owners, FBD Hotels & Resorts which hold a broad portfolio, are thought to have handed over as much as €55 million for their latest investment. Peter Flanagan brings the details of this latest chapter in the life of a hotel that dates back to 1835.
Stay up to date with all our business news: sign up to our Business Today daily email news digest. If you’d like to read more about the issues that affect your finances try signing up to On the Money, the weekly newsletter from our personal finance team, which will be issued every Friday to Irish Times subscribers.
