Kingspan shares soar 8% as it taps hopes for European economic recovery          

The last-minute free-trade agreement between Britain and the EU following fears of a no-deal Brexit also boosted investor confidence in the building products multinational

London saw a new-year stock market rally with the Ftse-100 climbing by 2.6%.

Kingspan shares soared 8% as the Irish building products multinational tapped a new-year global stock market rally driven by hopes that the roll-out of vaccines will speed recovery in Britain and the rest of Europe. 

The stock markets rally was most pronounced in London, with the Ftse-100, which has many internationally-focused firms, climbing by 2.6%, and also benefitting from the €9bn offer for Ladbrokes-owner Entain by US casino owner MGM Resorts.