ISEQ closes down in Dublin

The ISEQ index of Irish shares closed down 58.02 at 5245.95, on the day that April’s Exchequer figures revealed a 20% increase on last year’s income tax receipts.

Anglo Irish Bank reported pre-tax profits of €228.6m for the six months to the end of March, up 48% on the same period a year earlier. Its share price was unchanged at €13.52.

CRH told its shareholders at today’s AGM that it had made a positive start to the year. The building materials group closed down 4c at €17.74.

Exploration company Providence had a high volume of shares traded, closing at 5c per share.

Eircom chief executive Phil Nolan joined the board of the company as a non-executive director. Mr Nolan has 15 years’ experience with BP, and is a former director of British gas.

The British government announced today that it is to reestablish its ‘special share’ deal with a number of companies, including Northern Irish energy company Viridian. Its shares closed down 40c at €8.10 on the ISEQ.

AIB was down 4c at €12.07, while Bank of Ireland also lost out, 8c down at €10.09.

The FTSE closed up 22.3 at 4569.5, while in New York the Dow Jones is currently up 9.72 at 10326.92, and the Nasdaq is also up, 7.46 at 1429.57.