Elan drives market advance

THE Irish market increased on the back of strong gains in Elan. The ISEQ Index finished up 19.20 points at 7494.37.

AIB rose by 18c to €18.13 with over 2.3 million shares traded while Bank of Ireland remained unchanged at €13.65. Anglo Irish Bank added 20c to its share value, closing at €13.20, while Irish Life and Permanent slipped 1c to €17.03.

In construction, Grafton moved forward 18c as the market awaits its trading statement tomorrow. Kingspan rose 23c to €11.08.