Live news: Hoteliers expected to increase investments to €250m this year
News
Bite-sized servings of the latest in business, tech and current affairs
Welcome to the Business Post’s Live News section. We’re here all day to keep you up to date on developments in business, tech and current affairs.
07.45 – Women hold almost 45% of board seats on FTSE 100 companies
A new report sponsored by Lloyds Banking Group and KPMG has found that women occupy more than two in five seats on the boards of the UK’s bigged listed companies.
It marks a dip on last year’s level, when it hit an all time high of 43.4 per cent, up from 42.1 per cent in 2023.
However, the number of female chief executives within companies listed in the index dipped to fewer than 10 for a time, according to the report. It shows that women occupied 1,275 of roles on company boards and 6,743 of leadership roles at the 350 FTSE companies last year.
07.30 – Almost one in three people expect to have a mortgage come retirement
The Irish Times is reporting that almost one in three people expect they will still have a mortgage by the time they retire, with over a third expecting their payments to be “significant”.
A new report commissioned by insurance broker Gallagher, found that the proportion of people expecting to still owe money on a property rose to 15 per cent among those aged 25-34,
People living in Dublin are least likely to believe they’ll own their home outright in retirement – with just over half holding this view.
07.15 – Asian markets update
Japan’s Nikkei fell 1.3 per cent to 38,273.61, dragged by losses at Hitachi and Nissan, which each fell 8.5 and 8 per cent respectively. Mitsubishi moved in the opposite direction though, leading the gains, up 8.8 per cent.
In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng was also in the red, down 1.6 per cent to 22,967.38. The retail giant JD dropped 7.3 per cent to $39.31, followed by WuXi, which dropped 7 per cent to CN¥63.61.
Meanwhile, China’s Shanghai Composite slipped into the red, down 0.8 per cent to 3,346.04. Both the machinery firm Hangzhou and the digital marketing giant zhewen interactive fell back by 10 per cent, dragging the index.
07.00 – Good morning
Good morning from the Business Post. Megan O’Brien here to keep you up to date on all the latest news as it happens.
Kick off your morning with Ellie Donnelly’s story on the Irish Hotels Federation, outlining how hoteliers are expected to increase investments to €250 million this year.
Then catch up on Sarah Collins’ piece on the European Commission’s promise to respond “swiftly and decisively” if the US president takes any “unjustified measures” over the bloc’s big tech rules.
