Financials main movers on Irish market

The Irish stock market had a largely unremarkable day of trading closing down slightly to finish at 2,707.35.

The Irish stock market had a largely unremarkable day of trading closing down slightly to finish at 2,707.35.

Brokers said the bank holiday weekend in the United Kingdom and America had created a generally quiet day in the markets which would most likely be repeated again on Monday.

The main movers today however were in the financial sector with Allied Irish Banks rising 3.9 per cent to €1.33. Bank of Ireland also attracted buyer interest spiking slightly to close at €1.46.

However, Irish Life and Permanent failed to attract similar volume and closed down 0.66 per cent to €3.00.

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Brokers highlighted the financial sector produced a solid performance because of a growing confidence among buyers and an increased appetite for risk.

They also suggested Ryanair's poor day in the market, which saw the stock drop 2.10 per cent, could have been a result of the announcement by British Airways that it had been hurt by high fuel costs and weakened sterling.

The airline reported a pre-tax loss of £401 million in the year to the end of March, the largest loss it has seen since 1987.

Aer Lingus managed to avoid the negative sentiment within the sector and jumped 7.9 per cent to close at €0.170.

C&C also maintained high levels of trading volumes rising 3.31 per cent to close at €2.180. Independent News and Media enjoyed a strong rally rising 11.11 per cent to end the day to €0.280 while Smurfit Kappa spiked to €3.710, an increase of 9.11 per cent on the previous day.

Kerry Group slipped back slightly and failed to out perform by dropping 4.11 per cent to close at €16.30. CRH also failed to hold much buyer interest rising slightly by 0.22 per cent to close at €17.87.