Oil prices are likely to remain priced around $60 per barrel for the best part of the next decade before increased use of renewable energies starts pushing prices down consistently, a leading UK economic think-tank has said.

Britain’s messy election outcome and a weakening of the housing market have caused a sharp of loss of confidence among UK consumers, leaving the country dependent on exports to avoid a recession, according to a survey.

The UK elections are getting tighter, which could mean another nervy few days this coming week for sterling traders and Irish firms depending on the currency.

A surprisingly broad-based growth in exports in the first few months of the year show that the Irish economy may have weathered the initial fallout from Brexit following sterling’s drop against the euro since the UK’s vote last June, analysts said.

Our economy needs technical and hands-on experience, not just university graduates, writes Paul Mills

Ireland is still expected to turn a record trade surplus this year, despite latest preliminary data from the CSO showing export performance beginning to wane even before last month’s Brexit vote.

UK Chancellor George Osborne’s plans to slash corporation tax, in the battle for overseas investment, would wipe out the effects of Brexit and boost FDI by more than 10%, a think-tank claims.

The return of British prime Minister David Cameron to Downing Street following a surprisingly straightforward general election victory will add at least £2bn (€2.7bn) to the UK economy, a leading research centre has said.

Germany is likely to slip back into recession, putting the eurozone in jeopardy of contraction, a economic forecasting agency has said.

Scotland would immediately have to contend with a budget deficit of 6.4% if it votes for independence, according to the London- based Centre for Economics and Business Research.

Spending in food stores in the UK dropped in July for the first time in at least 25 years as the supermarket price war took effect, official figures showed today.

Ireland’s budget deficit should be eliminated in the next three years, with a surplus of nearly 2% of GDP being generated by 2019, a British economic think-tank has claimed.

The UK is on course to become Europe’s largest economy within two decades, overtaking France and Germany, according to a new report.

EMC is building a cloud computing innovation centre to be called Cloud4Gov, which could save the state anything up to 50% on its IT costs.

Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne insisted today the Government was doing everything possible to “weather the storm” as economic forecasters warned the UK is likely to be already in recession.

Ireland's economy may have turned the corner from the worst recession in its history, and could grow by up to 2% next year, and 4% in 2013.

LONDON city workers are still earning bumper pay packets as rising regular wages offset falling bonuses, research has found.

HOTEL room prices in Dublin plunged 11% to almost €120 last year, falling at one of the fastest rates in the world.

Swathes of Britain ground to a halt today as the big freeze returned, throwing early getaway plans into jeopardy and threatening to leave homes without heating or presents at Christmas.

Britain’s biggest banks are involved in behind-the-scenes talks over a joint plan to cut bonus payouts and boost lending to small businesses, it was reported today.

The UK’s best growth in nearly a decade was overshadowed tonight by the growing threat of a double-dip recession in the US.

British manufacturers took another step on the road to recovery last month after figures today showed the fastest rate of expansion since October 1994.

Today’s worse-than-expected retail sales for January have capped a poor week for the British economy and heightened fears of a dreaded “double-dip” recession.

There were further tentative signs of recovery in the battered industrial sector today as official figures revealed the smallest annual decline in production since the financial crisis struck.

EUROPE was yesterday battling to cope with the Arctic freeze amid warnings over the cost of the lengthy cold snap which has seen thousands of flights and train journeys cancelled and caused dozens of deaths.

Putting VAT back up in January could stall a recovery from recession, an economic forecaster warned today.

The under-pressure US economy inched ahead by slightly more than expected during the first quarter of this year, official figures showed today.

A high street price squeeze by struggling retailers offset higher transport costs to keep the cost of living unchanged in March, official figures showed today.

The bonuses of most London City workers have remained intact this year despite the impact of the credit crunch, a recruitment firm claimed today.

House prices in the UK fell by 0.1% during October as higher interest rates and falling confidence continued to impact on the market, figures showed today.

The recent stock market turmoil could result in the loss of around 6,500 City jobs in London next year, a study revealed today.

Crisis-hit mortgage lender Northern Rock suffered again today despite a stock market bounce on hopes of lower interest rates.

The Bank of England kept UK interest rates on hold at 5% today – as further signs of a booming housing market raised the prospect of a hike next year.

The amount of money pocketed by top company chief executives has surged by 30% in the last year, a new survey revealed today.

Top bankers and traders are gearing up for bonus pay-outs of up to 30% following a successful year for the financial markets, a report showed today.

NO SOCCER fan would tune in to an investment banker providing live commentary and analysis on the World Cup, but nothing will stop some banks from coupling a day job and a passion, with some interesting results.

Soaring energy bills lifted inflation to a seven-month high last month and above the Bank of England's target of 2%, official figures showed today.

The case for a further cut in interest rates was reinforced today after inflation stayed below target for a second month running in January.

The Bank of England kept an inflation target of 2% in its sights today - providing a signal that interest rates may remain on hold.

SOARING oil prices caused British inflation to rise at its fastest rate in eight years during July.

Internet auction sites such as eBay have boosted the average household’s wealth by around £3,000 (€4,400), an economics consultancy claimed today.

The prospect of another British interest rate rise diminished further today with figures showing the weakest economic growth in the UK for nearly two years.

Business optimism in Britain has fallen for the first time in a year, research showed today.

Irish pubs are losing customers due to the cost of drinks and not as a result of the country’s smoking ban, it was claimed tonight.

There will be 2,000 new financial industry jobs in 2005 compared with 4,000 this year, as slower economic growth damps markets and recruiting, a study by the Centre for Economics and Business Research said.

The recovery in UK manufacturing appears to be stuck in a low gear after demand dropped below normal levels in September, a survey showed today.

The London stock market took a battering today as jitters over higher interest rates and oil prices took their toll.