Market shows slight decrease

Shares in Dublin finished in the red following recent gains. The ISEQ index fell 13.66 to 8,118.78.

The financials were weaker overall. Irish Life &Permanent shed 25c to €19.95 despite announcing 23% rise in first half pre-tax profits. Anglo-Irish released an upbeat pre-close statement but shares fell 41c to €12.69. Meanwhile, Bank of Ireland eased back 6c to €14.70 with AIB bucking the trend to cross the line at €20.70, a climb of 20c.

In construction, Kingspan jumped 1.17 to €17.45 following very strong first half results with EPS 17% ahead of forecast. CRH however, lost 13 to €27.73, while Grafton Group fell five to €10.95