Encouraging gains for ISEQ

The value of Irish swelled today, as the ISEQ index jumped 104.5 points to finish on 6593.78.

The financials were among the best performers, with Irish Life and Permanent leading the way, climbing 59c to €10.68. Bank of Ireland (up 32c to €9.80) and Anglo Irish Bank (up 12c to €9.57) also did well. Allied Irish Banks inched up 6c to €14.05.

Construction giant CRH enjoyed the biggest gain on the Exchange, shooting up 96c to €24.93.

The food and drink sector also did well, with Iaws rising 48c to €13.53. Greencore finished the day 10c to the good, on €4.30.

Other significant gains of the day included CPL (up 15c to €4.10), Ryanair (up 14c to €3.74) and Paddy Power (up 10c to €20.85).

It was not all good news today, however. Irish Continental Group endured another loss, falling 60c to €24. Elan was down 29c to €17.30, Dragon Oil fell 22c to €5.71 and DCC shed 13c to €16.50.