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Housing supply at risk; merit of living frugally; and IDA plans

The best news, analysis and comment from The Irish Times business desk

Housing under construction in Co Meath. There are too few homebuilders of scale in the country, according to a new analysis by stockbroker Goodbody.

Ciarán Hancock's face
Ciarán Hancock
Wed Feb 21 2024 - 06:50

The State’s homebuilding sector suffers from a “distinct lack of scale” as it is made up of a large number of smaller builders with limited capacity, a new report from stockbroker Goodbody has indicated. Eoin Burke-Kennedy has the details.

Could you live frugally in your twenties and thirties to be able to retire early, or to at least drop down a gear in terms of your working life. Brianna Parkins examines the Financial Independence Retire Early (FIRE) movement in other countries to see if it could be successfully applied in Ireland. 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.

Microsoft is on the hunt for a new general manager for its Irish business, as Anne Sheehan moves on to a new senior role with the tech giant after more than two years in her current post. Ciara O’Brien has the details.

Mainstream Renewable Power, the Dublin-based green energy group, handed over a 10 per cent stake in its key Chilean portfolio to US alternative lender Ares Management as part of a wider restructuring of debt against the massive solar and wind farm platform. Joe Brennan reports.

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The pipeline of foreign direct investments will remain “strong” this year although there are “significant” challenges for Ireland to address if the State is to continue to attract multinational projects here, the new chairman of the IDA will tell the Oireachtas enterprise, trade and employment committee today. Ciarán Hancock has the details.

In commercial property, Ronald Quinlan reports that the headquarters of pharmaceutical and medtech giant Uniphar in Dublin are being put up for sale. Number 4045 Citywest Business Campus, owned by Iput, is being offered to the market by BNP Paribas Real Estate via a sale and leaseback deal at a guide price of €45 million.

Ronald also has details of Glencar House, a new office block in Ballsbridge that is being made available to let. Located opposite the RDS on Merrion Road in Dublin 4, the property comprises 6,968 sq m (75,000 sq ft) of grade A office accommodation completed to the highest standards of sustainability.

US President Joe Biden’s second-term economic policies will cause headaches for Europe, writes FT columnist Rana Faroohar.

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