Strong stocks boost bourse

THE Irish market put on a strong performance yesterday pushing the ISEQ index up 101.39 points to 4404.81.

The financial stocks rose, led by Bank of Ireland, up 40c to 12.45 and Allied Irish Banks which added 45c to 13.45. First Active climbed 10c to 4.85 and Irish Life and Permanent gained 3c to 12.23.

IFG Group went against the positive trend, losing 5c to 1.45, while Anglo Irish Bank was unchanged at 5.88. Overall the financial index finished 239.10 points higher at 8990.73. Construction stocks also made major gains with CRH up 50c to 15.60.

Galen Holdings continued its recent good run, adding another 25c to finish at 6.30. Meanwhile United Drug added 30c to 13.05 and Elan was 5c stronger at 1.85. In the food sector IAWS surged 25c to 8.45 and Kerry Group was 10c firmer at 13.65. Other main movers included Ryanair, up 30c to 6.10 and Riverdeep which rose 13c to 3.30.