Banks weaker as CRH fortunes rise
The financial sector experienced mixed fortunes, with Bank of Ireland and AIB marginally lower at 29c and 20c respectively. The former was 0.5c weaker with more than 21 million shares traded, while the latter shed 1.3c. Insurance company FBD gave up 1c to €7.30 while Irish Life & Permanent bucked the sector trend, adding 2c to 61c.
In construction, CRH jumped a further 13c to €15.43. According to media reports in Poland, cement producers are expecting sales to increase by 5%-8% this year to 16.5m tonnes. CRH is the number-one building provider in Poland. Meanwhile, Grafton Group lost 3c to €3.30, with Kingspan dropping 30c to €6.40.
