Profits taken in Eircom

Last Friday's embarrassing blackout of large sections of the fixed line and mobile telephone networks in Dublin had no discernible…

Last Friday's embarrassing blackout of large sections of the fixed line and mobile telephone networks in Dublin had no discernible effect on Eircom shares on the Dublin market. The 6 1/2 cent fall to €4.08 1/2 (£3.22) was put down to profit-taking.

Eircom shares actually traded higher in early trading and hit an early level of €4.20 before succumbing to profit-taking which brought the share as low as €4.06 before closing on €4.08 1/2.

Dealers said that while last Friday's events were embarassing for the telecoms group, they were not a significant factor in investors' attitude towards the stock. They added that with the half-year results now out of the way, Eircom is likely to trade in a relatively narrow range above and below the current level.