ISEQ plunges almost 3%

The value of Irish shares plunged 2.85% today, as the ISEQ index declined 82.12 points to finish on 2,796.55.

The financials all lost ground. Irish Life and Permanent was the heaviest faller, losing 12c to €1.40. Allied Irish Banks was down 8c to 80c, with Bank of Ireland shedding 6c to 61c.

A huge 72c loss for CRH impacted heavily on the overall ISEQ figure, as the construction company finished up on €16.42.

The energy sector performed poorly, with Tullow Oil enduring a 65c hit to close at €11.70. Dragon Oil was down 15c to €4.79.

DCC (down 64c to €17.92), Elan (down 12c to €3.62), Smurfit Kappa (down 11c to €6.52) and Glanbia (down 10c to €2.90) were the main fallers.

There was some good news however. Kerry Group grew 40c to €23.10, and Icon was up 30c to €23.30.