Banks help market buck Euro trend

SHARES in Dublin bucked the negative European trend ahead of the bank holiday weekend yesterday, rising 12.33 points to 4425.20.

The banking stocks moved into positive territory. Allied Irish Bank gained 7c to €12.35, Irish Life & Permanent rose 9c to €9.89 while Bank of Ireland was unchanged at €10.40.

Bookmaker Paddy Power advanced to a new 52-week high, adding 4.2% to €6.00, following an upgrade from Goodbody Stockbrokers. CRH lost some of its recent gains, falling 15c to €16.55 while house building firm Abbey was 10c stronger at €5.70. Elsewhere DCC rose 15c to €10.10 while Ryanair eased 7c ahead its next set of results on Tuesday.