Oil price fears force market lower

STOCK markets across Europe fell yesterday as concerns over rising oil prices helped pare recent gains. The ISEQ followed suit falling to 6772.67, down 12.26 points.

The financial stocks were mixed. AIB gained 5c to €18.10, while Bank of Ireland shed 6c to €13.17 with over five million shares changing hands. On the second line, Anglo Irish Bank gave up 8c to €11.15, while Irish Life & Permanent was 3c stronger at €14.60.

Construction stocks also lost ground. CRH slipped 3c to €22.89 while Grafton Group dropped 10c to €9.10. Kingspan eased 3c, while McInerney fell to €8.44.

FBD Holdings jumped €1.75 to €32.25 with just over 300,000 shares traded. Elsewhere Elan was down 25c at €6.90, while Kerry Group gained 4c to €20.83.