ISEQ begins the week with a gain

THE ISEQ index commenced the new week with a gain of 41.57 points to 2,471.51.

Shares across Europe have improved, prompted by late Wall Street gains on Friday, as Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke raised hopes for more stimulus for the economy at the US Central Bank’s September meeting. The British market was closed due to a bank holiday.

In the financial sector, neither AIB nor Bank of Ireland are likely to meet their lending targets for small-and medium-sized firms this year, the Credit Review Office has warned. Bank of Ireland fell 0.1c to 8.6c, whilst AIB was unchanged at 4.5c. Irish Life & Permanent slipped 0.5c to 3c, while insurance group FBD Holdings gave up 4.7c to €6.552.