Cost of living supports, will energy bills fall and consumers’ changing priorities

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Minister for Finance Michael McGrath warned any cost of living measures will have to be affordable. Photograph: Sam Boal / RollingNews.ie
Minister for Finance Michael McGrath warned any cost of living measures will have to be affordable. Photograph: Sam Boal / RollingNews.ie

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As the Cabinet prepares to discuss budgetary measures this week, Minister for Finance Michael McGrath has warned that cost of living supports must be affordable and get the “best possible result from the use of public money.” Mr McGrath was speaking in Brussels, and Naomi O’Leary was there.

There may be some good news coming at last on energy bills. Wind power halved Irish wholesale electricity prices to €193 a mega watt hour, the unit in which it is traded, from €320, on some days in December, according Noel Cunniffe, chief executive of lobby group, Wind Energy Ireland. As Barry O’Halloran reports, that should translate into lower prices for consumers later this year.

The planned Dublin MetroLink will see the demolition of a Smyth’s Toys Superstore outlet at the Airside Retail Park in Swords in north Dublin, according to the retailer, with no replacement site earmarked. Gordon Deegan has the details.

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The climate crisis has been the most important issue for many people in recent years, but as prices rise the cost-of-living crisis has overtaken it and other environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues as the chief concern of Irish consumers, according to a new survey by the Irish arm of global investment firm Amundi. Eoin Burke-Kennedy has the report.

Businessman Gary Kennedy, a former senior executive at AIB and chairman of Greencore, has died aged 65. News of his death was confirmed on Tuesday morning by UK listed company Norcros, where he served as chairman. Ciaran Hancock reports.

A day after Construction Industry Services suggested the Central Statistics Office had overcounted the number of new homes in the State, the CSO has forcefully defended its methodology. Barry O’Halloran reports.

Barry also reports on how small business owners are being hit with huge energy bills, even as some large multinationals are being charged less.

A job with little or no meaning is often seen as a reason why workers hate their jobs, but what if the work if stimulating even if the job itself is not? Sarah O’Connor explores what may be a growing trend.

Bank of Ireland has introduced a slew of measures tied to parental leave. Colin Gleeson reports.

Harry Crosbie was one of the best known developers of the Dublin docklands during the Celtic Tiger years. Now, he’s pitching to redevelop a prime site at the Grand Canal Docks. Ciaran Hancock has the details.

Paddy Power owner Flutter said it will start consultations with shareholders on seeking a stock exchange listing in the US, in a search for a more liquid market for its shares. Ciara O’Brien and Barry O’Halloran have the story.

Central Bank governor Gabriel Makhlouf has long been seen as one of the more dovish members of the European Central Bank committee that sets interest rates. On Tuesday though he made clear the ECB should be forceful on interest rates to control inflation. Colin Gleeson reports.

Staying with interest rates, Finance Ireland will increase some of its mortgage rates again from next month. Eoin Burke-Kennedy has the story.

Good times for news analytics and predictive monitoring platform Newswhip, which has raised $13 million (€12.1 million) in funding. As Ciara reports, the funds will fuel its growth plans and boost its product, increase its engineering team and grow overall staff numbers by more than 50 per cent in the next three years.

Tuesday was also a good day for FBD investors, after the insurer said 2022 profits will be close to double previous forecasts. Colin Gleeson reports.

The pandemic lockdowns helped spur a new investor in the public markets, who did well for themselves as shares soared amid a wave of cheap money. Now though, as Brianna Parkins writes, central banks are reigning in economies around the globe and the good times those investors enjoyed may be coming to an end.

In Commercial Property, a Singapore investment fund is exploring the sale of The Sorting Office, a 202,000 sq ft office block in Dublin leased to TikTok, for about €280 million. That would be one of the biggest single property sales in the country in recent years, if it were to go through. Ronald Quinlan reports.

In contrast, Ronald also has the details of the sale of an office building on Harcourt Street leased to law firm Byrne Wallace. That block was on the market for €52 million but that asking price has now been slashed to €37 million.

Meanwhile Verizon is looking to let about a third of its Sandyford offices.

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