A round-up of today's other stories in brief...

Stamp duty changes have little impact

Prospective home-buyers have not allowed their purchasing decisions to be swayed by stamp duty changes introduced in last week's Budget, according to new research from Merrion Stockbrokers. The broker surveyed 25 estate agents after the Budget and found that buyers are more likely to be influenced by movements in interest rates and confidence on future price movements than by stamp duty levels.

A quarter of responding estate agents said they had received an increase in the level of inquiries since the Budget but most said it was only a marginal increase.

"The main response . . . was that the stamp duty change has not had any noticeable impact on the market," Merrion noted. The broker acknowledged that this is a quiet time of year, however. It plans to repeat its research in January.

Slackening in salary demands

Irish employers have the most subdued hiring intentions among 27 countries surveyed by recruitment firm Manpower, while a separate study published yesterday by Premier Group shows that growth in salaries was more restrained in Ireland in 2007 compared to previous years.

The Premier salary guide shows that there was above-average wage growth in the accountancy and office support sectors, but salary demands in parts of the construction and banking sectors softened in response to the weaker housing market and uncertainty in global financial markets.

The Manpower survey shows that the Republic has the lowest hiring outlook for the first quarter of 2008 among the 27 countries surveyed.

HSBC acquires new headquarters

HSBC has signed a 25-year lease on a new headquarters, a 70,000 square foot office building on Grand Canal Square in the south docklands in Dublin, as part of its plan to develop its presence in Ireland. HSBC's staff in Ireland has grown from 65 in 2003 to more than 600.

Ryanair may buy new aircraft

Ryanair said it will react to any slump in demand for air travel by purchasing new aircraft. "We're looking at aircraft numbers beyond 2012," Ryanair chief executive Michael O'Leary said in an interview at the company's headquarters in Dublin yesterday.

A slowdown is likely "in the next year or two," he said. Mr O'Leary said he would buy aircraft at the bottom of the cycle to take advantage of cheaper prices. - (Bloomberg)

Cadbury expects revenue increase

Cadbury Schweppes, the world's largest sweet maker, said confectionery revenue will increase more than 6 per cent this year, beating its forecast, on higher sales of chocolate in the UK and chewing gum in the US. . - (Bloomberg)

EBay denounced by Tiffany

Tiffany and Co, the world's second-biggest luxury jeweller, has said EBay is a "rat's nest" for counterfeiting and urged a US judge to rule that the biggest online auctioneer was liable for infringement. Tiffany assailed EBay in a legal brief filed on Friday to US District Judge Richard Sullivan in Manhattan, as the companies await his ruling in a trademark infringement trial.EBay said in its brief that it was a "model citizen" in the fight against counterfeiting. - (Bloomberg)

Dresdner set to cut jobs

Dresdner Kleinwort investment bank is set to cut more than 200 jobs following the recent market turmoil and credit crunch, and as it goes through its year-end reviews. - (Bloomberg)