Financials provide market lift

THE Irish Exchange gained for the second consecutive day as the financials pushed the market upward. The ISEQ Index rose 15.23 points to close at 7443.8.

The banking sectors’ strong performance was mainly attributed to AIB’s gain of 26c, to close at €18.18. Bank of Ireland fell 10c to €13.70 with 4.1 million shares traded while Anglo Irish slipped 2c to €12.65.

In construction, CRH lost ground, down 32c to €25.41 while Grafton climbed 15c to €9.55 with 2.9 million share changing hands.