Business

The amount of money collected through inheritance tax is likely to rise further in the UK due to recent policy changes. ADVERTISEMENT The UK tax authority has confirmed that it collected £6.3 billion (€7.5bn) in inheritance tax (IHT) over the nine months to the end of December. That’s a £600 million (€710m) rise compared with the same period last year. …

Rising geopolitical tensions are increasing fragmentation of the global financial system and pose a risk to both global prosperity and human progress, according to a report from the World Economic Forum. ADVERTISEMENT The economic costs of global fragmentation could potentially be more than the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as the 2008 global financial crisis (GFC), according to the recently released …

The EU’s new trade chief Maros Sefcovic on Wednesday in Davos told the BBC that he was open to Britain joining the Pan-Euro-Mediterranean Convention (PEM) as part of a post-Brexit “reset”. ADVERTISEMENT The British government minister in charge of relations with Europe appears to have ruled out becoming part of a pan-European trade agreement after the idea was mentioned by …

China’s share markets hit their peak value before the 2008 global financial crisis and have stayed well below that level since. A lack of gains in share prices, along with falling housing prices, has discouraged Chinese families from spending, slowing consumer demand and economic growth. ADVERTISEMENT The Chinese government is trying to encourage people to spend more by ensuring that …

Venture investments in Europe lagged last year, although economic bright spots and a rise in exits provide hope for 2025. ADVERTISEMENT The total amount of money invested into European businesses by venture capital (VC) firms fell last year, according to an annual report from PitchBook. The value of individual deals grew, although the total number of deals fell from 11,408 …

US President Donald Trump delivered tariff threats to China, and the European Union, while pressurising Russia with more sanctions and import levies. The European markets, however, hit new highs as investors looked beyond his policy impact. ADVERTISEMENT US President Trump continued to deliver tariff threats on the second day after he took office. In an event at the White House …

ECB President Christine Lagarde urged Europe to prepare for potential US trade policy shifts, warning of selective tariffs under Trump. Speaking in Davos, she stressed the need for economic reforms, defended the ECB’s cautious rate cuts, and flagged energy prices as key to inflation. ADVERTISEMENT Europe must brace itself for potential shifts in US trade policy, European Central Bank President …

TotalEnergies has been dealing with ongoing delays and insurgencies regarding its Mozambique LNG project for several years now. The project is expected to start production in 2029. ADVERTISEMENT French energy giant TotalEnergies has further put off its liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in Mozambique, following ongoing political uncertainty and escalating security issues, according to Financial Times. The FT article is …

The predicted cooling is unsurprising given international trade turbulence and the boom seen in recent years, said the Irish Business and Employers Confederation (IBEC). ADVERTISEMENT The Irish economy is at an inflection point with growth set to cool in the coming years, Ireland’s main business advocacy group said on Wednesday. Domestic demand will grow by 3% this year and by …

The airline says it has succeeded in narrowing headline pre-tax losses through cost-cutting measures and a rise in demand for package holidays. ADVERTISEMENT UK budget airline EasyJet reported a Q1 headline loss before tax of £61m (€72.18m) for the first quarter of the financial year 2025 to the year ended 31 December 2024.  The loss is less than the £65m …