investments

The Dutch economy grew by 2.1 percent in 2016, the strongest growth since 2007, according to preliminary figures Statistics Netherlands released on Tuesday. The economy of the Netherlands has shown steady growth for 11 quarters in a row, ANP reports.

In the fourth quarter of 2016 the economy grew by 0.5 percent. Compared to the fourth quarter of 2015, the growth was 2.3 percent. 

In the second quarter of this year the Dutch economy grew by 0.6 percent compared to the previous quarter, continuing its steady growth for nine quarters in a row, Statistics Netherlands announced on Friday in its first calculations.

In December almost all key indicators on the state of the Dutch economy are positive and most of the indicators on CBS Business Cycle Tracer are doing better than their long-term trend, Statistics Netherlands announced on Wednesday. The economic outlook is somewhat better than last month.

The Dutch care and welfare pension fund PFZW wants to halve the climate footprint of its investments by 2020. To do so the fund will be investing less in companies with high greenhouse gas emissions, and more in companies that contribute in solving the climate problem.

Wealthy Dutch people are abusing tax havens abroad to prevent from being taxed on 129 billion euros in deposits, a former tax inspector told television show Nieuwsuur. The money is held in the accounts of shell companies based in the Cayman Islands, Seychelles and Virgin Islands, among other locations, the researcher, Jan van Koningsveld, said.

Catawiki has received a total of 75 million euros in investments, the Dutch auction site announced on Wednesday. Investors include investment fund Noord Nederland, Lead Edge Partners, Accel Partners and a number of media entrepreneurs including Willem Sijthoff

Capital gains tax, the tax on savings and investment, will be decreasing for small savers and increasing for large investments. According to the PvdA, an agreement has been reached with coalition partner VVD on this, but the VVD denies that there is any such agreement, NOS reports

The Dutch economy is expected to grow by 2 percent this year, ABN Amro writes in its annual Vision on Sectors. This growth will put a number of sectors at their highest level in years.

The Dutch investments in the nuclear industry have fallen with about 40 percent this year. Banks, pensions and insurers invested 1.4 billion dollar less in the production of nuclear weapons.

The Cabinet of Rutte II must use the rest of its time in government, until 2017, for at least one big reform on taxes that makes working more attractive and demands more taxes from the rich. This position comes from PvdA-leader Diederik Samson, who tells the Volkskrant that the Cabinet should hold back less and must make big investments that boost the economy and employment.

Energy bills will go down significantly in the next few years. According to the Dutch independent organization that supervises competition, telecommunication- and consumer law, Autoriteit Consument & Markt (ACM), the difference can be tens of euros per year.