The Covid-19-induced recession across Europe may have been the worst in EU history, but Ireland has fared relatively well, according to the European Commission. It has forecast that the Irish economy will be one of the best performers this year, shrinking by only 2.3 per cent, significantly below the 8 per cent predicted in spring. Our Europe Correspondent Naomi O'Leary reports.
First Citizen Finance, one of the largest non-bank consumer finance firms in the State, has raised €176 million to finance more car loans next year. Joe Brennan has this story.
He also reports that ElectroRoute, an Irish energy trading firm controlled by Tokyo-based Mitsubishi Corporation, is set to expand into the emerging Japanese energy market, where renewable power supply is set to become more important under new climate targets.
Emerald Airlines, a new carrier backed by aviation entrepreneur Conor McCarthy which is bidding for the Aer Lingus Regional contract, is seeking a licence from regulators in the Republic, writes Barry O'Halloran. In Agenda, he focuses in on the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the airline industry overall, as Chief Medical Officer Tony Holohan poured cold water this week on hopes of a loosening of restrictions on travel over the Christmas period.
The impact of a hard Brexit on companies in the Gaeltacht will be "substantial" due to the region's reliance on the UK as an export market and a source of raw materials and other imports, a new spending review published by the Department of Public Expenditure yesterday has forecast. Martin Wall has the details, while Charlie Taylor reports on a separate Government spending review showing that "significant savings" could be made by reviewing the OPW's office leasing requirements as the number of people working from home increases.
From the point of view of the Irish economy, a win for Joe Biden in the US presidential election always looked better than a Donald Trump victory. But central to Biden's policy is a strategy of bringing US investment back to America and thus securing vital supply chains in pharma, electronics and other areas. Cliff Taylor delves into the detail in his Smart Money column.
The coronavirus pandemic may have put a halt to migration in and out of Ireland, a tradition that has been a big part of Irish life for 200 years, but restrictions on travel are still causing hardship for those with family abroad, writes John FitzGerald in his column today.
In World of Work, Olive Keogh writes about a new book that looks at how television and film bosses inform real-life management style, while in the Wild Geese slot this week, we meet event manager Mark Byrne in Shanghai.
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