Archive for August 2025

Erosion of Fed independence would lead to higher inflation, ECB’s Rehn says US President Donald Trump’s escalating attacks on the Federal Reserve could have substantial and global knock-on effects on the financial markets and the real economy, including higher inflation, ECB policymaker Olli Rehn said today. Questions over the independence of the Fed, the world’s…

AA Ireland’s latest monthly fuel price survey shows that the cost of both petrol and diesel eased in August. The price of unleaded petrol now averages €1.70 a litre, down from €1.73 in July, while the average diesel price stood at €1.68 per litre, down from €1.69 in July. AA Ireland also said that while…

New figures from the Central Statistics Office show that 646,400 foreign visitors completed a trip to Ireland in July, a decrease of 1% when compared with the same month in both 2024 and 2023. The CSO said the average length of stay for the tourists was 7.9 nights, down from an average of 8.1 nights…

ByteDance, the owner of short-video app TikTok, is set to launch a new employee share buyback that will value the Chinese technology giant at more than $330 billion, driven by continued revenue growth, said three people with knowledge of the matter. The company plans to offer current employees $200.41 per share in the repurchase programme,…

American Bitcoin, the bitcoin miner backed by US President Donald Trump’s two sons, has locked in crypto and traditional investors to back an all-stock merger that will allow the firm to soon start trading on the Nasdaq, the company’s largest investor said. The unlisted firm’s merger with Gryphon Digital Mining is set to be finalised…

The European Commission asserted the “sovereign right” to regulate the activities of tech giants within the bloc and rejected claims by President Donald Trump that its rules unfairly harm US firms. Brussels has adopted a powerful legal arsenal aimed at reining in tech giants, particularly through the Digital Markets Act (DMA) covering competition and Digital…

Vhi, the country’s largest health insurer, is to increase the prices of its policies by an average of 3% from October. It is estimated the increase will mean an individual will pay between €15 and €80 extra per year for their health insurance, while a family plan could go up by around €180. Consumers will…

The Chief Operations Officer at Tuath Housing has said there is a need to “ramp up social and cost rental supply” to provide security for the next generation. Bronagh D’Arcy said decisions taken in this year’s budget will be “critical” as the Approved Housing Body released its annual report today. It emphasises that demand continues…

US President Donald Trump has threatened further tariffs and export restrictions against countries that he says are targeting US tech firms. “Digital Taxes, Digital Services Legislation, and Digital Markets Regulations are all designed to harm, or discriminate against, American Technology,” Mr Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. His comments appear targeted at European countries…

Consumer sentiment recovered in August from a near two-year low as concerns about the impact of tariffs on European Union exports to the US appeared to ease, a survey showed today. The Credit Union Consumer Sentiment Survey improved to 61.1 in August from 59.1 in July. The reading is below the 72.1 level posted in…