Irish Times Inside Business

On this week’s episode of Inside Business host Ciarán Hancock has Irish Times new recruit Killian Woods in studio to discuss a Government scheme to support the building of apartments in our cities, which looks set to miss a key target.Croi Conaithe cities is a Government support scheme to help plug the affordability gap to support apartment building, which is a key plank in the State’s plan to solve the housing crisis.Earlier this week, Killian wrote a story in The Irish Times stating that the scheme was in danger of missing its key target of building 5,000 new apartments over the lifetime of the scheme.What will happen when the scheme’s €450 million budget is spent? And has the building sector here come to rely too much on State subsidies?In the second half of the programme, Eoghan O’Mara Walsh, the CEO of the Irish Tourism Industry Confederation explains why the country is in danger of not having enough bedrooms to accommodate tourists. This is despite the Government’s aim to increase Ireland’s tourism revenue by 50% by 2031. Produced by John Casey with JJ Vernon on sound.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

First up on this week’s episode of Inside Business is Elon Musk's company SpaceX and its plan to raise $75 billion through what will likely be the biggest initial public offering (IPO) in history this Friday.The company values itself at $1.75tn, but some analysts feel it is worth far less.Could it prove to be a risky bet for the retail investor given SpaceX's lack of profit? And there are question marks over governance given Musk's almost untouchable status within the company.To get some insight on all this, host Cliff Taylor was joined in studio by Aidan Donnelly, head of Global Equities at Davy.Plus, European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde is expected to announce a 0.25% rise in the ECB's interest rate, this will bring it up to 2.25%.It will be the first interest rate hike since 2023, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the impact that had on energy prices.So, what does this week’s increase mean for Irish mortgage holders and those looking to buy?And is this the beginning of a cycle of increases designed to control rising inflation?Cliff was joined in studio by Senior Mortgage Advisor at Irish Mortgage Brokers, Michael Dowling.Produced by John Casey with JJ Vernon on sound. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Inside Business looks at pay transparency. A new EU directive requiring employers to disclose salary ranges in the workplace and toughen rules enforcing gender pay equality comes into effect on June 7th.However, Ireland is set to miss that deadline, with no draft legislation in place. Nichola Harkin is head of employment law services at employers’ group Ibec and joins host Ciaran Hancock in studio to explain the key elements of the new EU pay legislation and what it will mean for employers and their staff.How is it being received by companies here? And will it close the gender pay gap?In the second half of this episode, Ciarán speaks to Irish Times Washington Correspondent Keith Duggan about the new governor of the Federal Reserve, Kevin Warsh. He has been described by New York Times columnist Paul Krugman as Donald Trump’s sock puppet.So, the question is, will he be his own man or a Trump patsy?Produced by John Casey with JJ Vernon on sound. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How high could oil prices go?It has shot up since the United States and Israel’s war with Iran began a couple of months ago. But not by as much as might have been expected. Talks on a deal are taking place but in the absence of a deal there is concern that a prolonged conflict could lead to a global recession. Economist John FitzGerald and Cliff Taylor of the Irish Times join host Ciarán Hancock in studio to discuss the implications for Irish householders and businesses. In the second half of this week’s Inside Business, we hear about how plans for a €250 million winter sports arena in Cherrywood, south Dublin are progressing. This  week we learned that several US and Canadian ice hockey stars, including former Stanley Cup winners, have signed on as investors in the proposed ice hockey arena.Eoin Burke-Kennedy of The Irish Times has been covering the story, and he joined Ciarán to outline who these investors are and what their involvement means for the project. Produced by John Casey with JJ Vernon on sound. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On today’s Inside Business podcast Cliff Taylor from The Irish Times discusses the latest inflation figures, and our Current Affairs Correspondent Conor Pope offers tips on cutting your energy bills.Headline inflation in the Irish economy remained steady at 3.6% in April, figures published today show.“It’s hard to know how things will go but it looks like we could have a turbulent three to six months where energy is concerned” Cliff Taylor said.For consumers that could mean the need to take a look at the small changes that could, by the year’s end, tally up to substantial savings.The time you spend in the shower, the amount of water you put in the kettle, and how often you put the immersion heater on are all behaviours worth looking at, explains Conor Pope.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this week’s episode of Inside Business, host Ciarán Hancock speaks to Mayo entrepreneur Ciaran Crean. Ciaran is co-founder of Micksgarage.com, a business founded in 2004 selling car parts online. There have been a few bumps on the road since its foundation, but Micksgarage is currently in growth mode and has spun out a couple of businesses. One of those is WaveOMS, which provides software to Irish retailers looking to fulfil their online orders. Plus, IFAC chairman Seamus Coffey discusses the Government’s €505 million package of supports in response to last week’s fuel protests around the country. Is this money well spent? Will it be enough if the Middle East conflict drags on? And is it now a case that those who shout loudest will be appeased by the Government?Produced by John Casey with JJ Vernon on sound. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s a year on since Donald Trump’s Liberation Day tariffs and host Ciarán Hancock is joined in studio by Aidan Meagher, EY partner and co-head of the geopolitical strategy team; to hear about the impact this has had on Irish exporters and global trade.They also chat about the current market turmoil and an increasing level of cyber-attack on the operations of American companies in Ireland by Iranian interests.In the second half of this week’s Inside Business, Ciarán speaks to Declan Bolger, the chief executive of the Irish Life group, one of the biggest asset managers in the country.Declan gives his thoughts on the State’s new auto enrolment pension scheme, the rising costs of health insurance premiums, and the impact of AI on his sector.He also explains why Simon Harris’s plan to introduce a tax-friendly savings and investment scheme will be an “absolute failure” if only viewed for the wealthy.Produced by John Casey with JJ Vernon on sound.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

First up on this week’s Inside Business is Ireland’s housing crisis and where it is felt most – Dublin city. Mark Fitzgerald is chairman of the Fine Gael Commission for renewal and a non-executive director of Sherry FitzGerald Group. He joined host Cliff Taylor in studio to discuss a recent piece he wrote for the Irish Times where he highlights restrictive geography and the lack of imagination around land use and zoning as some of the key contributors to the challenging housing situation in the capital. But what decisions led to the current scarcity of supply and what choices could be made to meet demand for future generations in the capital?Also on this episode, the latest report from the Economic and Social Research Institute suggests Ireland is trending to fall far below the 2030 targets as set out in the Climate Action Plan.Focusing on decarbonising Irish households, the report highlights the slow uptake in retrofitting and the installation of heat pumps. The report also points out some of the barriers preventing homeowners from taking such measures.Muireann Lynch is a Senior Research Officer with the ESRI and co-authored the report. She joined Cliff on the line to go through the report’s key points.Produced by John Casey with JJ Vernon on sound. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As the US-Israel attacks on Iran intensify and the conflict spreads in the Middle East, the impact on the world economy is already being felt. Ireland is already seeing motor fuel prices creep upwards, and the cost of home-heating oil soar in recent days. Do those price increases reflect reality or are Irish consumers getting taken advantage of? Will prices continue to rise? And how soon before Donald Trump can claim victory and find a resolution? Host Ciarán Hancock is joined in studio by Cliff Taylor of the Irish Times, professor in energy economics at UCD, Lisa Ryan, and Head of Global Equities at Davy, Aidan Donnelly.Produced by John Casey with JJ Vernon on sound. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tánaiste and Minister for Finance Simon Harris announced a plan this week to introduce a new savings scheme to unlock the €170 billion that people here are keeping in mostly low-yield bank deposit accounts.His plan is to devise a scheme that generates good returns for savers in a way that puts the money on deposit to better use in the economy.Cliff Taylor of The Irish Times covered the story this week, he joins host Ciarán Hancock in studio to assess how such a scheme might work and what might be on the table come budget time.In the second half of this episode, we discuss how visitor numbers to Ireland were down last year, the weather in 2026 has been lousy so far and the country has been getting a reputation as a high-cost location for a holiday.On the flip side of the coin, the Government has decided to scrap the passenger cap at Dublin Airport and has eased rules that would have banned short term holiday lets in rural locations.Eoghan O’Mara Walsh is chief executive of the Irish Tourism Industry Confederation and joined Ciarán on the line to discuss the issues facing the tourism industry this year and its likely asks of Government in the next budget.And with St Patrick’s Day on the horizon and it being the typical starting point of the Irish tourism season, how is the year ahead shaping up for the industry?Produced by John Casey with JJ Vernon on sound. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this week’s episode of Inside Business, we hear the argument for scrapping mandatory retirement here.Host Cliff Taylor is joined on the line by Irish Times contributor John Fitzgerald who thinks Ireland should follow the lead of Scandinavia, the Baltics and the Netherlands, where three-quarters of the population aged 60-64 are in the labour force. He makes the case that such a move could not only reduce the numbers on the State pension, ease the cost of ageing to the exchequer, but also help alleviate the housing crisis.Also on this episode, we look at the German economy, which is frequently referred to as the Engine of Europe, but has begun to sputter quite a bit in recent times.A lack of much-needed reform, low levels of foreign investment and ineffective fiscal stimulus measures are just some of the reasons the German Chancellor Freidrich Merz is under increasing pressure to revive the economy, and quickly.But what needs to be done before that revival can start? And is there any cause for positivity in the economic outlook for Germany this year? Irish Times Berlin correspondent Derek Scally offers some insights.Produced by John Casey with JJ Vernon on sound. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As the annual World Economic Forum enters its third day, host Ciarán Hancock is joined from Davos in the Swiss Alps by Irish Times Economics Correspondent Eoin Burke-Kennedy.US President Donald Trump’s push to take over Greenland, and the strain it is putting on EU-US relations, has dominated this year’s event so far. Trump is due to arrive in Davos on Wednesday afternoon.On Tuesday, French president Emmanuel Macron openly accused the US of trying to “subordinate” Europe and referred to the consequences that could arise from this “new colonial approach”.Also on Tuesday, Canadian prime minister Mark Carney was damning in his assessment of Donald Trump’s impact on global politics and a “fading” rules-based order. He also warned countries against a policy of appeasement when it comes to major powers like the US.Speaking in Davos, Minister for Enterprise Peter Burke echoed the concerns of many there, he told those in attendance that US strategy on Greenland, and the threat of tariffs to countries opposing the move, was effectively “tearing apart” the EU-US trade deal.Produced by John Casey with JJ Vernon on sound. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2025 proved to be a record year for tax receipt figures, with the total hitting €106bn.This was despite extensive warnings about the State’s precarious position due to Donald Trump’s series of tariffs, and the number of big multinationals that use Ireland as an export base.It was another bumper year for corporation tax receipts as they exceeded expectations, but perhaps the non-corporation tax take offers the clearest insight into how Ireland’s economic growth will progress as we start 2026.For analysis of the numbers, host Cliff Taylor is joined in studio by chief economist at Davy, Kevin Timoney.Also on this week’s Inside Business, we look at how new EV sales increased last year to overtake diesel, a massive turnaround from 2023 and 2024, which saw EV sales plummet.Will this trend continue? Can charging infrastructure start to meet demand? And what’s being done to increase road safety? Irish Times Motoring Editor Michael McAleer gives his take on the trends hitting Irish roads in 2026.Produced by John Casey with JJ Vernon on sound. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.