Market up despite financials drag

THE Irish exchange closed 58 points lower at 6,625 while the ECB and The Bank of England left interest rates unchanged.

Financial stocks fell heavily. AIB dipped 7c to 14.70. Bank of Ireland dropped 52c to 9.60. Irish Life and

Permanent and Anglo dropped 46c and 12c to 10.74 and 9.70.

Construction giant CRH weakened a further 43c to 22.42. Kingspan eased 20c to 10.20 despite British peer SIG releasing a positive trading update while Grafton Group shed 13c to 5.04. McInerney bucked the trend adding 5c to 1.51.