ESRI revises growth forecasts, State’s PTSB stake and what the hell are NFTs?

Business Today: the best news, analysis and comment from The Irish Times business desk

The Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) has revised down its growth forecast for the Irish economy, while warning that unemployment is unlikely to return to pre-pandemic levels until late 2023 "at the earliest". Eoin Burke-Kennedy has the details.

In an accompanying analysis piece Eoin says that unlocking pandemic savings will be crucial to economic recovery.

The Government could see the State's stake in Permanent TSB (PTSB) fall from 75 per cent to 29 per cent if it deferred to stock market investors to provide capital needed for the bank to buy a chunk of Ulster Bank's loan book, according to a Deutsche Bank analysis. Joe Brennan reports.

New medicines in the three areas responsible for most Irish deaths could deliver a massive economic benefit for the State, according to a new report commissioned by the pharmaceutical sector. Dominic Coyle reports.

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Karlin Lillington, in her weekly column, struggles to get her head around the phrase non-fungible tokens or NFTs as they are fast becoming known.

Core Industrial Properties, a former Irish real-estate investment trust (Reit) that abandoned a stock market flotation three years ago, saw its asset base rise by 10 per cent to more than €100 million in 2019, ahead of a major refinancing and a move to put its portfolio of industrial and logistics properties up for sale, writes Joe Brennan.

Enterpryze, a software company founded by Irish IT veteran Morgan Browne, is to create 100 jobs in Dublin over the next two years, reports Charlie Taylor

Warner Music has joined forces with Apple and Accenture Interactive's Rothco to create custom playlists aimed at helping children with speech therapy. Ciara O'Brien reports

Cantillon welcomes the Intel jobs announcement and laments AstraZeneca;s ongoing missteps.

Ciara O' Brien tells us wow to protect your baby monitor and other cameras from hackers and also reviews the Huawei's FreeBuds 4i.

Neil Briscoe finds out how Irish 3D imaging technology is speeding up construction projects.

Chris Horn argues that a new approach to software is needed that not only makes it convenient to build but automatically ensures it is error-free.

In our weekly Inside Business podcastcolumnist Chris Johns talks to former governor of the Bank of England Mark Carney about his new book, his Irish heritage and his involvement with Stripe.

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Conn Ó Midheach

Conn Ó Midheach

Conn O Midheach is Assistant Business Editor - Digital of The Irish Times