Earnings boost as CRH starts to tap Biden's huge infrastructure spend

Chief executive Albert Manifold said CRH was likely heading "for a strong period of growth" on both sides of the Atlantic.

Chief executive Albert Manifold said CRH had delivered 'a robust first-half performance'.

CRH, the Irish-based international building materials giant, posted an outsized increase in earnings at the half-year stage following “strong” price rises and as it starts to tap the huge spending increase on US infrastructure under Joe Biden's White House.  

Earnings climbed 14% to $2.5bn (€2.3bn) in the first six months, as sales rose 8% to €16.1bn, reflecting growth in most operations in the Americas and Europe, despite a sharp decline at its European building division which took hits from a slowdown in housebuilding activity and bad weather.