CRH said today it expected pretax profit for the first half of the year to increase by around a third compared to the same period last year.
The group added in a trading statement it expected good profit growth in the more significant second half of the year, leading to a "healthy advance" for 2006 as a whole.
In May, CRH said overall trading in the first four months had been good, with a particularly strong start in the Americas. "Through May and June, our American businesses have continued to perform strongly and, despite subdued trading in a number of major markets, our European operations have made progress," CRH said.
"As a result, with an improved performance in each of our six business segments, CRH expects that profit before tax for the six months to 30 June 2006 will increase by approximately one-third compared with the reported 2005 outcome of €383 million."
Acquisition and investment activity in the first six months of the year totalled around €800 million .
"The group's pipeline of potential development opportunities remains strong and the due diligence review under the exclusivity agreement with Ashland Inc. ... is continuing," CRH said.