ISEQ holds firm without Greek deal

Shares in Dublin held firm yesterday despite eurozone finance ministers and the IMF failing to reach agreement on releasing the latest tranche of bailout funds for Greece.

The ISEQ Index gained just 4.2 points to 3243.0.

A mixed day in the financial sector saw AIB dipping 0.3c to 5c, Bank of Ireland nudging upwards by 0.1c to 9.7c and Permanent TSB Group Holdings unchanged at 2.1c. Insurer FBD Holdings gained 15c to €9.90.

In construction, the latest release of the Architecture Billings Index (leading indicator for non-resident activity in the US) showed an increase in October to 52.8, the highest level in two years. CRH gained 3c to €13.93 as a result. Meanwhile, Kingspan gained 14c to €7.90 with Grafton Group adding 8c to €3.78.

Elsewhere, Aer Lingus advanced 1.3c or 1.24% to €1.06, Glanbia rose by 30c to €8.04, while pharmaceutical company Elan declined by 6.3c to €8.127.