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Government Posts €0.6 Million Surplus For Second Quarter 2025, Signaling Robust Fiscal Recovery

Impressive Shift From Deficit to Surplus

The General Government registered a fiscal surplus of €0.6 million in the second quarter of 2025 (April–June), according to preliminary data from the Statistical Service. This turnaround is particularly notable when contrasted with the €68.7 million deficit recorded during the same period in 2024, underscoring a significant improvement in the nation’s fiscal health.

Revenue Growth Outpaces Last Year

Total revenues increased by €307.8 million (a 9.5% jump), climbing from €3,237 million to €3,544.8 million compared with the corresponding quarter of 2024. This robust performance was driven by several key components:

  • Social Contributions: Up by €81.7 million (7.5%), reaching €1,177.9 million.
  • Income & Wealth Taxes: Increased by €100.6 million (19.8%), totaling €607.7 million.
  • Production & Import Taxes: Rose by €45.2 million (3.8%), to €1,226.4 million, with the net VAT income up by €22.9 million (2.9%) arriving at €811.9 million.
  • Property Income: Grew by €55.3 million, reaching €84.2 million.
  • Capital Transfers: Recorded a substantial increase of €47.9 million (86.6%), aggregating €103.2 million.

On the downside, the government noted reductions in current transfers (a decline of €15.8 million or 10.9%) and in revenues derived from goods and services (a decrease of €7.1 million or 3.2%).

Expenditure Trends and Fiscal Discipline

Total expenditures climbed by €238.5 million (7.2%), reaching €3,544.2 million compared with €3,305.7 million in the corresponding quarter of 2024. Key expenditure areas include:

  • Social Benefits: Increased by €72.9 million (5.2%), totaling €1,466.6 million.
  • Personnel Costs: Rose by €60.5 million (6.7%), reaching €965 million.
  • Property Income Payable: Up by €21.5 million (13.7%).
  • Intermediate Consumption: Increased by €62.3 million (19.4%), arriving at €383.6 million.
  • Capital Expenditures & Transfers: Saw an uplift of €43.2 million (16.7%), totaling €302.6 million.

Further savings were achieved through a €21.9 million (9.4%) reduction in other current expenditures, which fell to €211.1 million.

Conclusion: A Promising Fiscal Outlook

The marked shift from a substantial deficit to a surplus, alongside notable revenue growth and managed expenditure increases, signals robust fiscal recovery and prudent fiscal management. This evolution not only improves confidence in public finances but also sets a promising tone for future financial planning and economic stability.

Meta’s Muse Is Outpacing ChatGPT In Early Mobile Adoption, New Data Suggests

Meta’s new AI app, Muse, may be emerging as one of the company’s strongest consumer launches to date. Fresh estimates from market intelligence firm Apptopia suggest the app has outperformed ChatGPT in early mobile traction, at least in the U.S. and Canada.

According to Apptopia, Muse recorded more downloads in its first 12 days on the market than ChatGPT did during the comparable period after its mobile debut. The comparison, limited to the U.S. and Canada, puts Muse’s iOS downloads at 1.8 million versus 1.3 million for ChatGPT over the same initial window.

A Strong Early Start Across Platforms

In total, Muse has reached 2.8 million global installs in its first 12 days, according to the firm. The app’s momentum also appears to be holding. After debuting at No. 2 on the U.S. App Store, Muse has since climbed to No. 1, surpassing ChatGPT, according to reporting from Business Insider. Appfigures had previously estimated that Muse crossed 1 million downloads shortly after launch.

That early rise matters because app-store performance in the first days after launch often signals whether a product can sustain consumer attention beyond initial curiosity. In Meta’s case, the data suggests Muse is not simply benefiting from novelty; it is gaining ground quickly enough to challenge the category leader.

Daily Users Show Similar Momentum

Apptopia’s estimates point to another favorable comparison for Meta: daily usage. In the U.S. alone, Muse is said to have 642,000 daily active users, well above the 231,000 ChatGPT had at the same stage of its mobile rollout.

To make the comparison fairer, Apptopia also narrowed the analysis to iOS only, since ChatGPT launched on iPhone before expanding more broadly. Even under that tighter lens, Muse still comes out ahead, with 359,000 daily active users on iOS compared with ChatGPT’s earlier figure.

Why Meta Has An Advantage

Third-party estimates are not the same as internal company data, and Apptopia cannot see Meta’s proprietary numbers. Still, even directional data suggests Muse may be on track to become a meaningful consumer product for Meta.

That possibility is strengthened by Meta’s distribution advantage. The company has already demonstrated how powerful its ecosystem can be with Threads, which surpassed 500 million users after heavy promotion across Instagram and Facebook. Muse is likely to receive a similar boost, especially because it can connect across Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.

Apptopia does not track Meta’s internal promotion strategy, but its data indicates that more than 95% of Muse users are also Facebook users, while 63% are Instagram users. That overlap underscores how effectively Meta can move users across its products when it chooses to prioritize a launch.

The Strategic Test For Meta

For Meta, the early signal from Muse is less about one app’s download count than about whether the company can turn its scale into durable AI adoption. The first test is attention. The harder one is retention.

If Muse can convert early downloads into habitual use, Meta may have found a new front door into its AI ambitions. If not, the app risks becoming another example of how easily mobile hype can spike before settling back down.

Meta, which was asked for comment, has not yet released public figures on Muse’s early adoption.

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