ISEQ down in early trading
The ISEQ index of shares slipped 11.37 points to 7554.76 in early trading today.
It was not all bad news however as pharmaceutical giant Elan's shares rose 25c to €12.15 on the news that it almost halved net losses in 2005.
The company today said reduced costs have led to improved operating margins and a reduction in net losses of 46% to $58.3m (€48.2m).
It also said product revenue in the fourth quarter of 2005 grew by 30% over last year while the company retained cash balances in excess of $1bn (€826m).
It was also a good morning for the financials with AIB leading the charge, adding 8c to €18.53. Bank of Ireland was up 5c to €14.15, while Anglo Irish rose 3c to €12.95.
Irish Life & Permanent was down 1c to €17.50. There were some heavier losses this morning, however, with CRH falling back 25c to €25.55, and Ryanair losing 17c to stand at €7.88.
