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Lorcan Allen

Lorcan Allen

The Business Post

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Analysis: Ireland needs a business policy reset, not sticking plasters

Well-designed support packages are helpful but the state can’t come to the rescue in every mini crisis

yesterday 10

The Business Post

Lorcan Allen

Lorcan Allen: FDI recovery will be a false dawn if infrastructure problems persist

After a very sluggish start to 2024, the number of investments being announced by multinational companies looks like it is on the rise

yesterday 40

The Business Post

Lorcan Allen

Lorcan Allen: Bankinter has its work cut out to bring real competition to Ireland’s mortgage market

The Spanish lender will need time to grow its market share in Ireland as it seeks to erode the dominance of the two big pillar banks

26.04.2024 80

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Lorcan Allen

Oil prices hold steady despite growing tensions in Middle East

The price of Brent crude oil has fallen over the last week despite Iran launching a major attack on Israel

21.04.2024 10

The Business Post

Lorcan Allen

Glanbia’s $300m deal for US flavours group looks expensive but should help boost profits

Shares in the Kilkenny-based nutrition group fell slightly this week after it announced the largest deal in the company’s history

21.04.2024 10

The Business Post

Lorcan Allen

Ires Reit investors jockey for position as trading surges to highest level in a decade

A major shake-up of the shareholder base in the country’s largest private landlord continues to unfold

31.03.2024 10

The Business Post

Lorcan Allen

Analysis: Lagarde faces career-defining 12 months as pressure mounts on ECB to cut rates

The former French politician must take the lead on cutting interest rates to save the Eurozone economy from recession

24.03.2024 10

The Business Post

Lorcan Allen

Analysis: Leo Varadkar won the hearts of big business but forgot Irish SMEs in the end

The departing Taoiseach took a hands-on approach to win investment from huge multinationals but his recent policies are damaging Irish SMEs

22.03.2024 9

The Business Post

Lorcan Allen

Analysis: Over 5 years, Eir pays €2bn to shareholders as debt balloons to €3.2bn

The Irish telecoms group has paid very large dividends to its shareholders over the last five years while net debt has surged at the same time

14.03.2024 7

The Business Post

Lorcan Allen

Grafton Group gets ready to flex its M&A muscles

The owner of Woodie’s and Chadwick’s potentially has more than £750m to shell out on acquisitions – but the question is, can it make these...

10.03.2024 10

The Business Post

Lorcan Allen

Explainer: Why ESB’s bloated €7.7bn debt pile could see it become the next Thames Water

The semi-state energy company released full year results this week, which show it has a very significant debt problem

07.03.2024 10

The Business Post

Lorcan Allen

Starwood Capital fuels speculation it is eyeing a full takeover bid for Ires Reit

The Florida-based investment fund has snapped up a 1.5 per cent stake in the Irish property group in less than a week and may continue buying new...

03.03.2024 9

The Business Post

Lorcan Allen

Glenveagh pivots to take a slice of state’s €40bn intervention in housing market

Homebuilder is set for huge growth in its new partnerships division, which includes housing developments delivered on behalf of local councils and the...

28.02.2024 10

The Business Post

Lorcan Allen

Cashing out – Irish banks set to unveil mega returns for shareholders as €5.3bn profits predicted

The rapid hike in interest rates over the last two years has super-charged the profits of AIB and Bank of Ireland to record levels

25.02.2024 10

The Business Post

Lorcan Allen

Icon targets $500m in merger and acquisition deals as shares soar to record levels

The Irish-headquartered contract research giant is now valued at close to $26bn after its shares surged 40 per cent in the last year

24.02.2024 10

The Business Post

Lorcan Allen

Analysis: Credit unions have a long way to go to rival main banks in €14bn mortgage market

Irish credit unions are sitting on billions in cash deposits but lack the market reach and expertise to meaningfully compete with the banks on new...

21.02.2024 20

The Business Post

Lorcan Allen

Analysis: Year long tussle over Ires Reit’s future comes to an end this week

It has been a bruising year for Ireland’s biggest landlord and whatever the outcome on Friday the status quo looks certain to change

11.02.2024 20

The Business Post

Lorcan Allen

Analysis: Ørsted’s woes show the stock market is no place for wind energy firms to grow

Ørsted has announced a major cost-cutting plan and suspended shareholder dividends as it contends with the hefty losses its suffered over the last...

11.02.2024 20

The Business Post

Lorcan Allen

Comment: McGrath’s debt warehousing tweaks welcome but eventually Revenue must be let off the leash

Michael McGrath, the finance minister, announced that the interest rate on pandemic-era warehoused debt would be cut to 0 per cent and refunded for...

07.02.2024 10

The Business Post

Lorcan Allen

Diageo’s ten-year surge halts but chief vows to find new wave of growth

Debra Crew says she will rebuild earnings margins after a ‘challenging’ first half – and investors believe her

04.02.2024 10

The Business Post

Lorcan Allen

Stock Take: Are AIB and Bank of Ireland as sensitive to falling interest rates as they claim?

Both lenders are forecasting a sharp drop in net interest income if rates are cut this year, but it’s likely they will continue to enjoy bumper...

28.01.2024 50

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Lorcan Allen

Bumper pay rise for state workers gives taxpayer a raw deal

Paschal Donohoe has had to pay a very high price to ensure industrial peace in this year of elections

28.01.2024 40

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Lorcan Allen

Analysis: Energy prices may drop a further 20% this year but cuts hinge on stable gas market

Estimates by Paul Deane of the MaREI institute in UCC suggest electricity prices could fall a further 15-20 per cent this year

17.01.2024 10

The Business Post

Lorcan Allen

Finance minister must make his mind up about AIB

If McGrath releases the bank to become a truly private entity once more, he lets go of the chance to recover €3 billion outstanding to the taxpayer

14.01.2024 10

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Lorcan Allen

Analysis: Food industry braces for impact of government imposed wage hikes

Irish food companies have had to grapple with several challenges of late but the most recent is of their government’s own making

14.01.2024 10

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Lorcan Allen

More Ires Reit executives in firing line at upcoming EGM

Activist investor is seeking sweeping changes including a review of the group’s status as a Reit, a merger or even a full sale

14.01.2024 20

The Business Post

Lorcan Allen

Analysis: state’s stake in AIB will likely fall below 25% by year-end

If the state continues to sell shares in the bank at the same rate as the last two years, the taxpayer will likely own less than 25% of AIB by this...

09.01.2024 30

The Business Post

Lorcan Allen

Analysis: even with record tax revenues, the Irish state may be spending beyond its means

The government took in €88.1bn in tax revenues last year - but its spending also increased to an unprecedented level

04.01.2024 30

The Business Post

Lorcan Allen

ESRI report reveals Ireland is a land of two economies

Latest figures from the institute show that while we are officially in recession and multinationals are struggling, the domestic economy is proving...

17.12.2023 20

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Lorcan Allen

Hotels surge back from Covid slump into bumper 2023

New report shows that Ireland’s hotel operators have been able to push up prices to offset strong rises in energy, food and staff costs

10.12.2023 9

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Lorcan Allen

Analysis: Why budget watchdog was right to slam government’s ‘fiscal gimmickry’

The government introduced a prudent and sensible spending rule and then repeatedly broke it, Lorcan Allen writes

08.12.2023 6

The Business Post

Lorcan Allen

Analysis: €14 billion Apple judgment is by any measure a major blow to Ireland’s credibility

Headache for Michael McGrath as European Court delivers long-awaited verdict

09.11.2023 8

The Business Post

Lorcan Allen

Bank shares may be a better bet than savings as profits roar back to Celtic Tiger levels

While the thought of investing in lenders again may send a shiver down the spine of some, it will probably earn you more than leaving cash on deposit

05.11.2023 7

The Business Post

Lorcan Allen

Why Kerry Group may need to tell investors a better story

The company is in good health and delivering a fairly resilient performance but shares continue to take a hammering

29.10.2023 5

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Lorcan Allen

‘Fang’ firms show their teeth with subscription models and price hikes

Shares in Facebook, Amazon, Netflix and Google are back up, due largely to significant changes to their business models

22.10.2023 10

The Business Post

Lorcan Allen

Lorcan Allen: Banks quids in despite poor mouthing over doubling of levy

The banking industry body complained that the doubling of the levy risks Ireland’s ‘stable tax regime’ reputation but the reality is that Irish...

14.10.2023 7

The Business Post

Lorcan Allen

Angels, energy supports and company cars: What’s in Budget 2024 for businesses

The government has moved to introduce a range of measures which it will hope partly offsets rising costs for businesses

10.10.2023 10

The Business Post

Lorcan Allen

It makes sense for growing Irish firms to leave for bigger stock exchanges

Euronext has called for stamp duty to be scrapped on share trading – but it might not be enough to halt the exodus of companies

08.10.2023 9

The Business Post

Lorcan Allen

Further Diageo price hikes to please shareholders may leave a bitter taste

A weak trading outlook, plus the underperformance of the drinks giant’s share price, means it is now under pressure to win back investor confidence

01.10.2023 10

The Business Post

Lorcan Allen

Origin Enterprises struggles to find investors despite strong results

The chief executive of the agri-services group has been courting potential suitors as demand for small cap stocks declines

01.10.2023 10

The Business Post

Lorcan Allen

Smurfit must tackle WestRock costs, not just paper over the cracks

Investor sentiment towards the packaging industry has waned, but if the Irish company can wrap up the merger with its American rival, they’ll come...

17.09.2023 10

The Business Post

Lorcan Allen

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