ISEQ reports modest 6.9 point gain

The ISEQ index made a modest gain yesterday, to close up 6.90 points at 3,268.45. Latest figures from the eurozone show that unemployment rose to 10.9% in March, matching the record high of 15 years ago.

In the financial sector, Bank of Ireland dropped 0.4c to 10.8c. AIB was unchanged at 7.8c. Irish Life & Permanent advanced 0.1c to 3.8c, while insurance group FBD Holdings slipped 10c to €8.80.

In the construction sector, latest figures from the US showed that the rate of annualised spend increased by 0.1% month-on-month in March. This was behind Bloomberg consensus expectations of +0.5%. CRH fell by 5c to €15.47. Grafton added 1.8c to 3.338, while Kingspan gained 10c to €7.88.