Market back in negative territory

THE ISEQ was back in negative territory, closing down 49.38 points to 2,884.40, in line with European and World bourses.

Weaker than expected trade data from China and the ongoing debt crisis in Greece left markets nervous, and lead to profit taking by investors. The euro was also weaker as there is still no sign of agreement among EU officials over the Greek bailout.

In the financial sector, AIB dropped 0.1c to 16.9c. Bank of Ireland lost 1.6c to 11.9c. Irish Life & Permanent was the best performer of the day, with a jump of just under 8%. Shares in the bank closed up 0.5c to 6.8c. Insurance company FBD Holdings slipped 3c to 7.42.

In the construction sector, CRH dipped 46c to 14.08. Grafton Group was unchanged at 3.40. Kingspan added 18c to 7.25, while Abbey Group was unchanged at 5.05.