Category Archives: Business News

Construction sector sees sharp rise in new business with hike in employment activity

Ireland’s construction industry recorded its first rise in total activity in three months in March.The sector ended the opening quarter of 2025 on a positive note with a sharp rise in new business, helping  lead to a renewed expansion of activity with increases in employment and purchasing activity. However, the AIB Construction Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) also shows the pace of input cost inflation quickened again, and was the fastest in almost two years, while uncertainty regarding US trade policy led to a waning of business confidence.The headline index moved back above the 50.0 no-change mark in March, signalling a renewed expansion in activity. At 53.9, the index was up from 48.7 in February — pointing to a first rise in three months and the strongest for three years.Companies indicated that rising new orders amid improving customer demand had been behind the increase in activity. The strongest increase was in commercial activity, which rose sharply and to the largest extent since March 2022. Housing activity expanded for the seventh consecutive month, with the latest solid increase the fastest in the year to date. Civil engineering activity broadly stabilised following a sustained period of reduction.Delivery times The securing of tenders and the start of projects, which had previously been on hold, helped lead to a second consecutive monthly rise in new orders in March. The rate of expansion was the fastest since July last year.The start of new projects also led constructors to increase staffing levels in March, following a fall in February. The usage of sub-contractors decreased, however, ending a six-month sequence of growth.Purchasing activity also rose, the second month running in which this has been the case. The rate of expansion was solid and the fastest since July 2024. Rising demand for inputs meant that suppliers’ delivery times lengthened again in March, and to a solid degree.”There were also some promising signs emanating from the new orders index, which is considered a key leading indicator,” AIB senior economist John Fahey said.”Orders expanded for the fourth time in the past five months and at its sharpest pace since July 2024. 
Construction firms attributed the expansion in part to starting some projects which had previously been on hold 
“Meanwhile, the sector saw a return to jobs growth last month as firms increased staffing levels in response to new business,” he said.”Construction firms remained optimistic on the prospect of increasing activity levels over the coming 12 months. However, sentiment in this regard was at it lowest level since November 2023.”Despite this, the survey of 150 construction companies found the rate of input cost inflation quickened for the second month running and, despite the generally improving picture in March, business confidence continued to trend downwards, dropping for the third consecutive month to the lowest since November 2023.While success in securing new orders supported optimism, firms expressed concerns about a possible slowdown in the wider economy and uncertainty regarding US trade policy.

China says it will not bow to US pressure after Trump threatens additional 50% tariffs – business live

Hello and welcome to our coverage of the global stock market response to Donald Trump’s sweeping trade tariffs following the huge falls on Asian markets yesterday.Extreme volatility plagued global stock markets on Monday, with Wall Street swinging in and out of the red as Trump defied stark warnings that his worldwide trade assault will wreak widespread economic damage, comparing new US tariffs to medicine.A renewed sell-off began in Asia, before hitting European equities and reaching the US. It was briefly reversed amid hopes of a reprieve, only for Trump to threaten China with more steep tariffs, intensifying pressure on the market.China said Monday it would not cave in to threats after Trump vowed an additional 50% tariffs on its goods if Beijing did not retract planned countermeasures.“We have stressed more than once that pressuring or threatening China is not a right way to engage with us,” Liu Pengyu, a spokesperson for Beijing’s embassy in the US, told Agence-France Presse. “China will firmly safeguard its legitimate rights and interests.”The US president later dampened hopes of a reprieve further when he told reporters in the Oval Office he was “not looking at” pausing tariffs to allow for negotiations.During a bilateral meeting with Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump was asked if the tariffs were permanent or open to negotiations. Trump responded: “They can both be true, there can be permanent tariffs and there can be negotiations.”“There are things we need beyond tariffs, like open borders,” Trump insisted – once again hitting out at China, claiming “China is a closed country” charging too high tariffs. He did confirm the US was talking to Beijing about the tariffs.It looks set to be another bumpy ride on the markets today. Follow along for the latest news, reaction and analysis.Japan’s Nikkei share average is up 1.9% after the Tokyo stock market’s opening this morning, Reuters is reporting.The European Union said on Monday it had offered “zero-for-zero” tariffs to the US weeks before Trump’s tariff announcement and was in negotiations with the administration.But Donald Trump didn’t appear keen on the offer, telling reporters zero-zero tariffs were not going to happen.Trump said selling energy to the EU would be a key focus as his administration seeks to eliminate a trade deficit with the bloc.“The European Union’s been very bad to us,” Trump said, accusing European nations of not buying enough US goods.
They’re going to have to buy their energy from us, because they need it and they’re going to have to buy it from us. They can buy it – we can knock off $350 billion in one week.
Hello and welcome to our coverage of the global stock market response to Donald Trump’s sweeping trade tariffs following the huge falls on Asian markets yesterday.Extreme volatility plagued global stock markets on Monday, with Wall Street swinging in and out of the red as Trump defied stark warnings that his worldwide trade assault will wreak widespread economic damage, comparing new US tariffs to medicine.A renewed sell-off began in Asia, before hitting European equities and reaching the US. It was briefly reversed amid hopes of a reprieve, only for Trump to threaten China with more steep tariffs, intensifying pressure on the market.China said Monday it would not cave in to threats after Trump vowed an additional 50% tariffs on its goods if Beijing did not retract planned countermeasures.“We have stressed more than once that pressuring or threatening China is not a right way to engage with us,” Liu Pengyu, a spokesperson for Beijing’s embassy in the US, told Agence-France Presse. “China will firmly safeguard its legitimate rights and interests.”The US president later dampened hopes of a reprieve further when he told reporters in the Oval Office he was “not looking at” pausing tariffs to allow for negotiations.During a bilateral meeting with Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump was asked if the tariffs were permanent or open to negotiations. Trump responded: “They can both be true, there can be permanent tariffs and there can be negotiations.”“There are things we need beyond tariffs, like open borders,” Trump insisted – once again hitting out at China, claiming “China is a closed country” charging too high tariffs. He did confirm the US was talking to Beijing about the tariffs.It looks set to be another bumpy ride on the markets today. Follow along for the latest news, reaction and analysis.

TJC Closes Acquisition of L3Harris’Commercial Aviation Solutions Business

TJC, L.P. recently announced that an affiliate of The Resolute Fund VI, L.P. has closed the acquisition of L3Harris Technologies Commercial Aviation Solutions business (CAS) for $800 million.

CAS has two operating business units; the Avionics unit designs and manufactures mission critical, IP driven avionics products, and the Commercial Training Solutions (CTS) unit provides an integrated suite of aircraft training solutions.

The Avionics unit is a global leader in aviation that enhances safety and increases efficiency and situational awareness for next-generation requirements and helps its customers create safer skies. Their products include ADS-B NextGen surveillance, configurable voice and data recorders, collision avoidance systems, navigation products, display systems, processors and additional products such as satellite communications equipment and data analytics services. The business serves over 160 distinct aircraft platforms across commercial air transport, business and regional jet, and military end markets.

The CTS unit manufactures training systems and provides airline training, including recurring courses for pilots and airline academy participants. The training systems suite includes full flight simulators, flight training devices, flat panel trainers, and relevant training courseware and equipment upgrades. Airline training includes airline-specific qualification courses, refresher training and simulator time. Its airline academy provides an integrated environment that supports cadets over a 12-18 month training period, including flight training, instruction, type rating, and placement with regional and major airlines.

“L3Harris’ CAS business is a global leader with a long history of providing highly engineered products at the intersection of data, communications and safety,” said Erik Fagan, a partner at TJC. “We look forward to partnering with their strong management team to build upon their history of success to provide high-reliability solutions to their critical customers.”

Business leaders speak out about President Trump’s tariffs

IE 11 is not supported. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser.April 7, 202500:42Parents express concern over melatonin use in day cares02:30New England Aquarium creates space for older penguins to thrive01:45Mixed day on Wall Street amid tariff turmoil03:45Supreme Court pauses deportation order01:32Now PlayingBusiness leaders speak out about President Trump’s tariffs00:42UP NEXTExclusive: Inside the limestone mine used to process federal retirements01:55Second child dies from measles as outbreak spreads01:39Deadly flash floods impacting multiple states02:02RFK Jr. says vaccine is ‘most effective way’ to fight measles01:27Family recreates old memories for grandpa’s birthday02:37Pope Francis makes first public appearance since hospitalization00:53Judge stands by deadline for U.S. to return wrongly deported man01:56Dangerous flood emergency unfolds across the South02:13Tariffs prompt some consumers to buy before price hikes01:42Markets brace for Monday open after massive sell-off02:10Good News: Medical school students, graduates celebrate residency ‘Match Day’03:41Undocumented California farm workers face deportation risk02:19Texas measles outbreak explodes to nearly 500 cases01:27Millions at risk as dangerous storms hit the South03:02Major nationwide protests erupt against Trump admin.02:17Nightly NewsBillionaire Trump backer Bill Ackman is among the business leaders who have criticized the president’s trade war. NBC News’ Christine Romans reports Ackman called the tariffs a mistake and urged a pause in new tariffs.April 7, 2025Read

China tariffs, earnings, Small Business Optimism: What to Watch

00:00 Speaker A Time now for what to watch Tuesday, April 8th, starting off on the tariff front. President Trump threatening an additional 50% tariff on China in response to China’s 34% retaliatory tariff. President Trump reiterating that tariff at a news conference with the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier today. It’s going to go into effect as will most of the reciprocal tariffs at midnight on Tuesday. This one unless China rescinds it’s 34% tariff. Confused yet? Moving over to earnings. Some reports coming in throughout the day tomorrow from the likes of Tilray brands and Cal Maine. Tilray will announce results for the third quarter before the markets open. Analysts expect to see more profit growth in the quarter driven by the company’s recent beverage acquisitions and selling more expensive cannabis products. Moving over to the Fed. We’ll be getting some Fed commentary in the morning from San Francisco Fed President Mary Daly. This coming after comments from Fed chair J. Powell last week. He said today that the central bank is in wait and see mode. But now bigger than expected tariffs could lead to lower growth and longer lasting inflation. And finally the NFIB optimism index coming out in the morning. Economists forecast March’s number will drop to 99 on a month over month basis. That would make it the third consecutive drop and the lowest since the election. That new data will give us more insight into small business sentiment in the US.

Vancouver launches new task force aimed at improving business conditions

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The City of Vancouver is launching a new task force aimed at improving conditions for businesses amid growing global economic uncertainty.
The Mayor’s Business Growth Task Force will include representatives from business sectors, including tech, finance, tourism and real estate, First Nations, as well as former Vancouver mayor and B.C. premier Gordon Campbell.“While we can’t control what happens in Washington or in global markets, we can make sure Vancouver is prepared,” Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim said.“We are bringing together some of the brightest minds in business, economic development and industry leadership to deliver real, actionable solutions that will make it easier to start, sustain and grow a business in Vancouver. This is about getting rid of unnecessary barriers, strengthening key industries and ensuring that our city remains competitive in a rapidly changing global economy.”

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Sim said the group would look at business concerns including permitting, taxation, economic incentives and investment. Story continues below advertisement

ABC Vancouver councillors Mike Klassen and Lenny Zhou, and Green Coun. Pete Fry will serve as city liaisons.

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Fry stressed that the task force’s work will be non-partisan.“This is important work. We have to really lean in together and recognize this is an unprecedented time,” Fry said.“We are going to have to do things differently, we are going to have to do things quickly, we are going to have to learn to respond.”The task force is slated to report back to city council in approximately six months.

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Samsung to report a huge drop in profit as chip business struggles

Summary: Samsung will reportedly post a 21% drop in its operating profit for the first quarter of this year, largely due to the company’s struggling chip business. Challenges in the foundry division and delays in kicking off production in its new US chip facility have made things worse for the company. 
Samsung has been struggling with its chip business, which has been massively hurting its profitability in the last few quarters. Reports from the past month suggested that the company has even apologized to its shareholders regarding its financial situation. While the company assured that reverse the situation, things aren’t looking good just yet. Samsung will reportedly post a big drop in its first-quarter profit tomorrow, mainly due to struggles in its chip business.
Samsung to post 21% drop in its profit for Q1 2025 as chip business struggles
According to a report by LSEG SmartEstimate, Samsung could post a 21 percent drop in its operating profit for the first quarter of 2025. Samsung’s operating profit for the January-March quarter was reportedly 5.2 trillion KRW ($3.62 billion). That’s a significant drop from 6.6 trillion KRW ($4.5 billion) reported in the same period last year.
The report further claims that Samsung’s chip business is to blame for this massive drop. The company is experiencing sluggish sales of AI chips and has been facing losses in the contract-based chip manufacturing business.
To catch you up, Samsung has been struggling with falling chip profits since last year. The company has been lagging behind its direct rival, SK Hynix, when it comes to supplying advanced memory chips to AI chip giant NVIDIA.
Samsung’s struggle in the high-end market has left it relying on Chinese customers, who are in search of low-end memory chips. That’s not all; prices of Samsung’s other memory products have also dropped. The prices of DRAM and NAND flash chips are reportedly down by 25% and 50%, respectively. This also means the company’s profit is also taking a hit elsewhere.
The foundry division is also making things difficult for the company
Not to mention, Samsung is having several problems with its foundry division. It hasn’t been able to seal any big deals for advanced chips. The company might also delay the start of production at its new chip facility in the US. Although initially planned for next year, reports hint that the production might kick off in 2027.

Consumers Hold Line On Sustainability, Expect Business To Do The Same

Tuesday, 8 April 2025, 10:39 amPress Release: BusinessNZ

New research shows that while the cost of living remains
top concern for New Zealand’s consumers, their commitment
to sustainability remains strong.The Kantar and
Sustainable Business Council (SBC) Better Futures 2025
report – now in its 16th year, surveyed 1,000 New
Zealanders. Results show there are high expectations of
businesses to take responsibility for their environmental
and social impacts.Kantar’s Sustainable
Transformation Practice Lead Jason Cate says businesses
should be rethinking how they engage with consumers on
environmental and social issues.”Perceptions show
businesses are falling short of consumers’ expectations in
the sustainability space. Although global pressures mean
it’s more challenging for businesses to prioritise social
and environmental responsibility, these issues remain key to
New Zealanders – and consumers continue to hold the line on
sustainability issues year on year.”Consumers expect
businesses to do the same, if not go further, to help them
make the better choices they aspire to.”Sixty percent
of people surveyed said they were prepared to invest time
and money to support companies doing good in the
sustainability space, while almost half (49%) said they had
stopped buying certain products because of their
environmental impact.”Businesses cannot walk away
from their sustainability commitments without losing trust
in their brand,” Cate says.SBC’s Head of
Environmental, Social and Governance Jay Crangle says the
report reaffirms calls for businesses to go beyond
storytelling, with New Zealanders expecting action on the
big issues.

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“We’re seeing proof that meaningful
actions speak louder than words when it comes to
environmental sustainability and social responsibility.
Consumers are looking for businesses to show more than tell.
When they do tell, consumers want to see transparency and
authenticity.”Consumers again ranked social issues as
more of a priority than environmental issues – with a sharp
increase in concern over access to good, affordable
healthcare (up 9% on 2024). Almost one-third of a
consumer’s perception of a brand is now shaped by what
they’re doing to minimise the social harm of their
products or services.”Environmental issues remain
important to consumers, but social concerns are increasingly
apparent and pressing,” Crangle says.”There is clear
commercial benefit in engaging genuinely with both
sustainability and social issues, because there’s
substantial overlap in the interest for progress in both.
But engagement must be authentic and relevant to your
business, or consumers will
notice.”NotesThis is the 16th
year Kantar has been monitoring the issues New Zealanders
care most deeply about.Find
the full 2025 Better Futures report online
here.The 2025 top five concerns for New
Zealanders (percentage change since 2024):1.
The cost of living (+1)2. Not having access to good,
affordable healthcare (+9)3. Protection of children
from mental, physical and sexual abuse (-2)4. The
level and treatment of mental health issues (+3)5.
The impact of social media (+4)The top five
environmental concerns for New Zealanders (percentage change
since 2024):1. Pollution of lakes, rivers
and seas (-1)2. Managing our waste including
recycling (+3)3. Microplastics in the environment and
food sources (+1)4. Protection and management of
conservation land and waterways (+2)5. The impact of
climate change on New Zealand (+2)Margin of error
±5% points at the 95% confidence
level.

‘This is the Moment!’ Kevin O’Leary Urges Trump to Find an ‘Off Ramp’ Out of Tariff Fiasco On Fox Business

Canadian entrepreneur and Shark Tank personality Kevin O’Leary joined Fox Business by telephone on Monday morning and urged President Donald Trump to quickly sign a zero-tariff deal with the European Union to end the escalating trade war he ignited with global tariffs last week.
“Joining me on the phone, Kevin, your analysis of what’s going on, please,” said anchor Stuart Varney.
“It’s all Euro right now because this is the test case right here. I think this is a really huge opportunity for Trump to find an off-ramp here in the administration because it’s not Vietnam, that’s not big enough, but EU has a huge aspect that is so important, and that’s on automotive,” O’Leary began, adding:
Because if you think about how restricted it’s been in Germany alone or in Switzerland or France about getting U.S. cars into those markets, they’ve been so punitively oppressed with tariffs, and they’re willing to wipe those out. So what you get to say is, look, in the interim where we’re building our own factories in the U.S. on whatever it is you want to look at.
I’m going to show you how it’s done with Euro. And the Eurozone has been brought to its knees. It’s willing to go zero-zero and open its markets up. And that’s the key, Stuart. The idea that you would open up the markets and set the path for every other negotiation of the other 59 countries, whether it’s Penguin Islands or whatever, it doesn’t matter. This is the opportunity. This is the moment. And if Navarro sees it that way and advises Trump and whether Lutnick sees it, but that’s what the market’s holding on to right now. The volatility is gonna remain extreme.
But this Eurozone deal is the beginning of a beautiful outcome, if you want to put it that. Then you get to say to everybody, look, it was a lot of volatility, but I got us there. That’s where I think the opportunity lies.
“If a big guy goes first and it’s positive, we got ourselves a nice rally,” Varney agreed.
The stock market closed down on Monday, with the Dow losing another 1% as Trump’s tariffs continue to rattle investors.
Watch the clip above via Fox Business.

Trump says Russia gets no tariffs because U.S. ‘not doing business’ with it

President Trump said Monday that Russia hasn’t seen any tariffs because “we’re not doing business essentially with Russia.”

Russia was not on the receiving end of any tariffs from the United States, along with North Korea and Cuba, according to the list revealed last week.

More than one liberal commentator noted this and took it as “proof” that Mr. Trump is a puppet, or at best an admirer, of Russian strongman Vladimir Putin.

“Because they’re in a war and I’m not happy about what’s going on with the bombing,” he said in the Oval Office beside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “They’re bombing like crazy right now, they’re bombing, I don’t know what’s going on right now. That’s not a good situation.”

He said “we’re getting sort of close” to ending the war after meeting with both Ukraine and Russia.

“It’s a horrible thing,” he said.