Market slips below 9,000 points

THE ISEQ Index closed below 9,000 for the first time this year as the financials continued to drag the market downwards. The Irish bourse closed 185.11 down at 8,829.67.

The banking sector suffered another serious body blow as foreign investors sold off holdings. AIB fell 58c to €19.44 while Bank of Ireland fell 45c to €14.25. Anglo Irish dipped 24c to €14.21 and Irish Life & Permanent lost 52c to close at €18.43.

In construction, CRH shed 45c to €34.10 while Kingspan slipped 25c to €18.85 and Grafton also weakened down 18c to €9.72. Elsewhere, Ryanair fell 7c to €4.96 with over 1.1 million shares traded.