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.
KLM CEO Pieter Elbers thinks it currently more important to invest in new aircraft and equipment than to increase wages for the airline's employees, he said in an internal webcast for employees that Het Parool managed to see. The airline wants to invest another 2 billion euros over the next four years, but that will not go towards wage increases.
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.
Dutch people find it "scary" to invest money in stock and bonds. Nearly 60 percent of Dutch see investing as gambling, according to a international survey by asset manager BlackRock among over 31 thousand people in 20 countries
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.
Despite the still high unemployment rate and number of people on welfare benefits, the economic outlook in the Netherlands is somewhat brighter in November than a month ago. Almost all key signals for the state of the Dutch economy are on green this 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.
Dutch pension fund ABP invested nearly one billion euros in companies that produce parts for nuclear weapons over the past three and a half years. This makes the pension funds for civil servants one of the biggest Dutch investors in nuclear weapons.
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.
The economic situation in the Netherlands looked slightly better in August 2015 than in July, according to Statistics Netherlands' Business Cycle Tracer. Almost all indicators on the Tracer performed better in August than their long-term trends.
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
Editors are urging State Secretary Sander Dekker of Media to stop unfair competition in public broadcasting, referring to the Dutch Public Broadcaster's, or NPO, plans to focus completely on digital media in the coming years.
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 Netherlands and Cuba will be working more closely together in future. Minister Bert Koenders of Foreign Affairs made this agreement during his visit to Cuba, the ministry announced on Friday. Koenders said that the Netherlands has a "solid relationship" with Cuba, ANP 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.
Many Dutch people still save, despite the low interest rate. For many people the savings account appears to be a "safe" way to keep a grip on the finances. About 78 percent of the wealth in the Netherlands is held in savings, the highest rate in Europe.
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.
Freelance workers in The Netherlands will, from next year onwards, be able to choose to put money into a collective pension fund. With this fund, they will also, just like steady employees, be able to save money tax free for their pensions, De Volkskrant reports.
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.
Investments by foreign companies will create 5,300 new jobs over the next three years, announced the Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency (NFIA) today during the publication of their annual report.
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.
Minister Lodewijk Asscher of Social Affairs is worried about the speed of the increase in unemployment in the Netherlands. Chairman of political party D66 Alexander Pechtold said that the Netherlands is following Greece, Slovenia, Italy and Portugal. “It’s a category we shouldn’t feel comfortable in”.
