Market ends week with small gain

AFTER three days of falls on the Irish market, bargain hunters moved in to help push the ISEQ index out of the red, closing up 34.17 points at 4,343.92.

Despite a sharp increase in car sales as new VRT rules came in to effect in July, retail sales continued to slump, hitting a 10-year low, the latest data from the CSO shows. The volume of retail sales in July fell by 3.5% compared to the same month last year.

In the financial sector, AIB added 5c to 7.90, Bank of Ireland dipped 7c to 5.02, Irish Life & Permanent gained 17c to 6.72, while Anglo Irish Bank moved up 4c to finish the week at 5.01.

In construction, CRH jumped 34c to 18.98, Kingspan lost 15c to 7.30, while Grafton was 11c weaker at 3.42.