Market falls below 2,000 points

THE Irish market plunged below the 2,000 mark on yesterday despite the banks having a positive day.

The ISEQ index slipped 93.20 points to 1,981.12.

The financial stocks were among the market’s leading movers on the day that AIB announced its full-year 2008 results. Despite a drop of 68% in full year profits, theresults were in line with analyst’s forecasts. More than 15 million AIB shares changed hands with the share price gaining 5.3c to 43.8c. Bank of Ireland tacked on 0.9c to 20.2c, while Irish Life and Permanent added 11c to 74c.