Market starts week with decline

THE Irish market began what promises to be a busy week yesterday, as many firms are due to release interim results, on a negative footing.

The ISEQ index shed 38.75 points to 4,321.23 on weak volumes as the British FTSE was closed for a bank holiday.

The financials were yet again chief among the laggards. AIB lost 7c to €8.15, while Bank of Ireland gained 4c to €5.30 Anglo-Irish fell 13c to €5.27, while Irish Life and Permanent followed the trend, dropping 11c to €5.14.