Positive start for ISEQ

The ISEQ climbed 24.31 points to 8372.84 by 12.05pm today, boosted by some big gains for individual companies.

The upward trend was, unusually, not reflected in the financial sector, where Bank of Ireland enjoyed the only gain, up 10c to €15.35. The rest recorded modest losses, including Allied Irish Banks (down 9c to €21), Irish Life & Permanent (down 5c to €19.60) and Anglo Irish Bank (down 2c to €13.53).

The construction sector had another strong showing, with CRH rocketing up 32c to €27.42. Grafton Group was not far behind, climbing 20c to €11.35.

The biggest gain of the day came for mining group Minmet, up €9 to €1895.

There were other big gains across a variety of sectors also, with Icon up 69c to €57.10. C&C reached the €5 mark following a gain of 10c, Elan received a 22c boost to €12.42, and Paddy Power continued its recent revival, up 11c to €14.56.

The only significant loss of the day came for Kerry Group, who slid 13c to €18.57.

Aer Lingus inched 1c higher to €2.97, with Ryanair shedding 8c to €8.57.