EVERY WEEKEND, TheJournal.ie gives its readers the chance to put their feet up and take a look back at all the goings-on from the world of business.
Once again it’s time to delve deep inside The Briefcase for the important – and sometimes less-important – financial news that has come out this working week:
House prices are actually falling across the country. A little bit, at least. The latest CSO figures showed a 0.4% average drop in prices during February after a bigger decrease in January, although on an annual basis prices were still up nearly 15%. Meanwhile, the ESRI warned the Central Bank’s new mortgage rules could put a dampener on supply – further pushing up rents
Dublin’s Realex Payments was sold for a tidy €115 million. The 15-year-old online payments company was bought by New York-listed Global Payments, delivering a very nice return for founder Colm Lyon and his wife Niamh. Together they own about 75% of the company shares
Want to get rich? Study engineering. Or maybe nothing. Those are the findings from an analysis of Forbes rich list entrants and their college credentials. Some 32% had no third-level qualifications, while engineering, business and arts qualifications dominated the list of top degrees
A landmark privacy case against Facebook began in Europe’s highest court. Austrian activist Max Schrems first launched the case in Ireland against Facebook’s local arm in a move with the potential to shut down the controversial 15-year-old “safe harbour” data-sharing agreement for companies operating across the EU and the US
Pubs and off-licences want higher prices for alcohol. Their lobby groups are pushing for the government’s new laws to make the minimum price for a can of beer at least €2, while wine could cost over €10 per bottle. Meanwhile, alcohol companies were accused of taking some lessons from Big Tobacco in their softly-softly approach to fighting tighter controls
The IMF thinks the water charges ‘issue’ is cooling down. That assessment came from a staff report after the fund’s January visit, although it added there was a risk Irish Water would add significantly to the government’s deficit if not enough customers signed up for the semi-state to meet revenue targets
It really pays to shop around, particularly for car insurance. A comparison from the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission showed some drivers could save over €1,200 on their insurance if they took the time to compare quotes
Geo-blocking might soon be consigned to the scrapheap. The system, which means you can’t access your favourite shows or sporting events in certain territories, could be overhauled in a European Commission move to create a “digital single market”
Think the potholes on your local roads are bad? You haven’t seen anything yet…
The passengers on this Brazilian bus disembarked just in time – before the vehicle was swallowed up by a giant sinkhole.
We’ll never complain again.
First published 28 March, 7.45am
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