Mortgage approvals, Covid tester signs Olympic deal, and tax bills as you age

Business Today: the best news, analysis and comment from The Irish Times business desk

Some 4,683 mortgages were approved in May, valued at €1.2 billion, according to figures from the Banking and Payments Federation (BPFI). Mortgage approvals increased in volume terms by 149.2 per cent year on year and in value terms by 162.5 per cent. Colin Gleeson examines the reasons for these large incrases in activity.

Irish-founded healthcare company LetsGetChecked has been named as the official partner of the Irish Olympic team, providing home-collection Covid-19 testing for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Ciara O'Brien reports.

Wexford, Waterford and Kerry experienced the sharpest acceleration in house prices over the past 12 months, with average prices rising by 20-21 per cent , according to property website Daft's latest report. Eoin Burke-Kennedy has the details.

Cantillon expects strong private equity interest in Virgin Media Ireland now that its owner Liberty Global has put the telecoms and broadcasting group on the blocks.

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Cantillion also looks at the State's energy policies and how they often confict.

Your age can significantly impact on your tax bill - from your 20s up to your 80s. In our weekly personal finance feature, Fiona Reddan explains the changes that can occur as you grow older.

In Q&A, a reader has found a house that they like in a good location but wonder if they should buy now or wait and save more money for a bigger property. Dominic Coyle offers some guidance.

In Me & My Money, David Field, chief executive of the Marketing Institute of Ireland explains how Covid has changed his spending habits.

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Ciarán Hancock

Ciarán Hancock

Ciarán Hancock is Business Editor of The Irish Times