Ian Guider | Business Post

Ian Guider

Markets Editor

@ian-guider

Ian Guider is the Markets Editor

Ian Guider: Where is the new chief of the IDA as we enter a challenging period for job creation?

The state’s inward-investment agency is doing its bit this month to fly the flag for Ireland, but is currently doing so without a permanent chief executive

Ian Guider: Proposed Benefit-in-Kind changes were all stick and no carrot

How did the government overlook the fact that hiking BIK during a cost of living crisis would cause further financial difficulty to workers and to businesses with large vehicle fleets?

Debt did him down: how Denis O’Brien lost his grip on Digicel

After its initial success in the Caribbean, Digicel built up crippling debt. Last week the bondholders’ solution to the $4.6bn owed was to wipe out some of it – but only in return for O’Brien giving up the vast majority of his stake in the firm

Ian Guider: Don’t hold your breath for a better return on your bank savings

Why would the banks offer better returns on cash deposits, when they have no competitive reason to do so?

Ian Guider: In opposition, McGrath sought fairness for borrowers, so why not now?

The Minister for Finance must instruct the Central Bank to require that mortgage holders are not stigmatised by past credit history or by being a customer of a non-bank fund

Ian Guider: O’Brien may have to dig deep into his own pockets for debt-laden Digicel

The chaotic situation in Haiti is not helping Digicel’s cause and with $925m loans due to be repaid next month, the company’s only options appear to be an injection of cash from O’Brien, a writedown by bondholders or selling assets

Ian Guider: Hotel price gouging isn’t a good enough reason to end reduced Vat rate

The government should use the unused funds allocated to the Business Energy Support Scheme to extend the 9 per cent rate for the hospitality sector

Ian Guider: It’s time to see the wood for the trees on the so-called Coillte ‘land grab’

Claims that a vulture fund is swooping in on Ireland’s forests are wildly wide of the mark

Ian Guider: Forget crisis summits on housing, the government needs to get its cheque book out

The state does not have the expertise, people or time to build much-needed housing and apartments, so it needs to pay others to do so – and fast

Ian Guider: Are we getting value from the state’s hugely increased spending?

The coffers may be full, but Michael McGrath and Paschal Donohoe must ensure government departments come in on time and on budget, and deliver more efficient public services

Taking stock: ten companies to watch in 2023

It was a rollercoaster year for investors with rising interest rates and the Russian war against Ukraine sinking stock markets globally amid the uncertain economic outlook. Ian Guider examines ten Irish companies, how they fared this year and what the future might hold for them

Ian Guider: Every strong company should be bigger than its boss

Even firms such as Ryanair, whose founder is a household name, should have worthy successors waiting in the wings

Ian Guider: A year in which the tech sector slumped, inflation roared back and Irish banks did well

Ireland’s exchequer was awash with cash in 2022 and it needed to be as it stepped in to help businesses and households struggling with inflation, but housing remained the biggest problem for the government

Ian Guider: Limiting scrutiny of who owns what assets is a victory for vested interests

Restricting the ability to access the Register of Beneficial Ownership is a blow for transparency and a win for lobbyists

Removal of state supports may reveal a worrying wobble in SME sector

While our eyes have been diverted to the giant tech companies and their recent job cuts, have we missed a wider underlying problem with our small firms?

Ian Guider: Bitter dispute between IDA and ConnectIreland needs to end now

As serious claims emerge from arbitration hearings, a full independent investigation of what went wrong between the two parties is essential

Ian Guider: If plan B is to still target multinationals, we will need a plan C very soon

Relying so heavily on FDI for our jobs and tax revenues leaves the country exposed in any global downturn – there should be more focus on helping indigenous companies

Ian Guider: Liveline managed to hold AIB to account but the balance of power is with the banks

Ireland has now just three banks left operating and, along with this lack of choice, customers face higher costs and a reduced number of services and premises

Ian Guider: Banks could lose more than business by alienating SMEs

The government is finally assessing the new landscape of Irish banking, which displays a huge gap between service provided and the needs of business customers

Ian Guider: What could go wrong as the Central Bank to allow borrowers take on more debt?

The ban on evictions of renters over the winter months marks a major shift in housing policy, but the Central Bank’s decision to relax rules for mortgage borrowing for first-time borrowers could burden borrowers with unsustainable debt