CRH leads advance of main players

THE majority of main players in the Irish market were in positive territory yesterday seeing the ISEQ index post a 34.88 point gain to close the day’s trading at 5171.44.

In the construction sector, CRH was the leading mover of the session with the share price moving forward to finish at 17.42, 62c stronger. This was ahead of the FY03 results being released this morning, with analysts expecting no surprises.

The banks also had a solid day with Bank of Ireland leading the rally, ending 16c better on 10.69 and AIB up 8c to 12.30. This was despite reports of Morgan Stanley downgrading the two leading Irish banks on the back of expectations that profit margins in the Irish sector will continue to deteriorate. Budget carrier Ryanair showed further signs of recovery getting back 5c to 4.80.