US stocks fell tonight as New York State followed California in ordering non-key workers to stay at home and the UK caught up with the rest of Europe by ordering the closure of pubs and cafes to fight the deadly Covid-19 outbreak.

Shares in AIB posted crisis-era losses as international investors assessed the damage to the economy and the loan books of the country’s banks from the fallout of the Covid-19 crisis.

Property prices increased by 1.8% in January — in the biggest monthly increase since August.

Bank of Ireland said it will advance emergency business loans for companies hit by the coronavirus fallout, while rival AIB said there was an increased risk of the outbreak damaging the Irish economy.

Irish consumers remain “wary” about the future despite feeling better about Brexit, which may explain the views of voters in the final week of the election campaign, according to a major survey.

Corporate tax revenues were the star performer in the first month of the year, but Vat receipts fell back and Government spending rose sharply, the monthly exchequer figures showed.

Politicians have been put on alert that strong economic growth won’t necessarily boost the feel-good factor among consumers ahead of an election this year, according to the author of the KBC Bank sentiment survey.

In Ireland, the degree to which prosperity is felt beyond the big cities will determine whether Leo Varadkar returns to power, writes Kyran Fitzgerald

Today’s Irish labour market remains strong by historical standards as we enter the next decade, but of course, sustaining the growth story will not be easy.

GDP growth is an imperfect guide, while age, financial security, and a sense of purpose are better at predicting the population’s sense of wellbeing, according to a new survey on financial security by KBC Bank Ireland.

Irish business leaders and analysts have hailed the prospects for the UK approving the withdrawal agreement next month but warn that the risk of Brexit disruption may be just delayed for a year.

New data released by the CSO illustrates the reliance on existing builds in the property market. It also shows price inflation at its lowest point since December 2007.

Corporation tax revenues will again likely make an outsized contribution to overall tax revenues this year, providing the Government with some sort of comfort that it can meet its hefty spending commitments in the short term.

Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe could tap hundreds of millions from surging tax receipts to fund giveaway measures in his budget next week — but much will still depend on the scale of potential health spending overruns for the rest of the year.

Tax revenues continued to pour into the exchequer last month, easing the pressure on Paschal Donohoe even as a snap UK election and a crash-out Brexit could still undo his October budget plans, analysts said.

Ireland’s population has reached its highest point in 170 years and could be set to pass the 5m mark as early as next year.

Irish jobs growth fell for the first time in seven years in the second quarter of the year, indicating that employment may be reaching peak level.

The latest Population and Migration Estimates report from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) shows that the population of Ireland increased by 64,500, bringing the overall total to 4.92 million as of the end of April this year.

Almost a quarter of people here say they can’t afford a holiday this year, while those who are taking a break are not spending significantly more than they did a year ago.

Almost one-quarter of people here say they can't afford a holiday this year, while those who are taking a break are not spending significantly more than they did a year ago.

Official data indicates that Irish people take on average two holidays per year.

Consumer confidence in the Irish economy is at a six-year low.

Brexit fears will cost the Government €1bn in lost tax revenues this year as Irish consumers rein in spending, according to a major survey.

Surging economic activity strengthens the hand of Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe in October’s budget — despite the uncertainties of Brexit, a leading economist has said.

The KBC Bank Ireland Consumer Sentiment Index released today shows consumer spending edged slightly higher in June.

The size of the national debt may no longer be a constraint for Government spending as the world enters a “new era” of permanently low borrowing costs, leading economist Austin Hughes has said.

Paschal Donohoe has nothing in his way to set “a generous” tax package in a possible pre-election budget in October despite the finance minister receiving a scare over disappointing corporate tax revenues last month, a leading economist has said.

Retail sales rose strongly in the first quarter but the sales uplift still appears to be far from indicating a return to a boom-time spending spree.

Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe looks set to have ample room for spending rises and tax cuts in his next budget even as the Government cut the growth outlook.

A lifting of the Brexit gloom and the relief of Britain ruling out crashing out of the EU would likely spur Irish households to spend more on pricey consumer items, a leading economist has predicted.

Consumer confidence has slumped to a 21-month low amid rising concerns over Brexit, increased household costs such as rent and heat, and limited expectations of gains in next week’s Budget.

Exchequer figures, which show spending is growing faster than tax revenues, should give the Government cause for concern, say analysts.

Soaring house costs that push people further away from their places of work due to unaffordable property prices are causing a form of “involuntary social engineering”, according to a brokers’ body.

Eamon Quinn Individual Irish consumers are still not feeling their household wealth improve significantly, even as overall spending in the economy picks up because more people are back in work, according to a survey by KBC Bank and the ESRI.

Up to 30% of Irish consumers expect their financial circumstances to improve before the end of the year, according to the KBC/ESRI consumer sentiment index for January.

The Government may be hard-pressed to meet its Vat revenue target this year because few consumers are sharing the robust feel-good factor that the huge GDP growth numbers might suggest, an author of the latest snapshot of spending sentiment has said.

GDP figures showing the economy is Europe’s fastest growing has the potential to keep up the pace in 2018, despite Brexit headwinds, analysts have predicted.

GDP figures showing the economy is Europe’s fastest growing has the potential to keep up the pace in 2018, despite Brexit headwinds, analysts have predicted.

While there is broad agreement that the Irish economy is recovering, there is considerable disagreement as to the strength of the upturn and, more importantly, how widely it is being felt or how it will develop.

Demand from home-buyers in Ireland is growing, and could outstrip the expected rise in the building of homes, according to a new survey by KBC Bank Ireland.

Consumer spending this Christmas will likely be up from a year ago but not “spectacularly so”, the latest monthly reading of consumer sentiment suggests.

Householders are the most optimistic about the economy and their personal financial situations since February 2016.

Consumers are still failing to tap any feel good factor about their personal finances and are reluctant to make expensive purchases despite the continuing growth of the economy and lower unemployment, according to a leading survey.

Business confidence in Ireland is at its strongest in six quarters as fears surrounding Brexit and possible US policy changes haven’t materialised, according to a report.