The Mayor of Limerick’s recent comments about deporting non-Irish unemployed have generated a lot of discussion. This post examines the numbers behind the claims and finds that, far from being a drain, those of working age from new EU member states are actually more than paying their way here!

The IMF has published its latest growth forecasts. This post gives an overview of the headline stats and analyses the revisions to the 2009 figures. It finds that while some countries in most regions of the world, with the possible exception of the Americas, have seen their growth prospects this year significantly improve, the largest concentration is around China. This suggests a regional dimension to the global economy that is likely to prove important in the medium ter.

This post reviews the latest Daft rental report, which finds that rents are at their lowest level in almost 10 years. Rents have fallen in Dublin by more than other parts of the country, while the total stock available to rent has fallen 10% in recent months. Some implications for NAMA are also explored, before underscoring the good news for tenants this news represents.