Iseq slips 17.88 in trading today
The Iseq closed down 17.88 points today to end the day at 5,303.97.
AIB closed up 0.13 at 12.16 while Bank of Ireland closed up 0.05 to 10.17.
Irish Life and Permanent climbed 0.18 to close at 13.10.
Anglo-Irish Bank closed down 0.11 to end the day at 13.54.
Meanwhile Tullow Oil shares on the Iseq closed slightly down at 1.44 today, while the company’s listing in London was on the up.
News that the FTSE 250-listed company Oil planned to buy a bigger South African-based counterpart saw Tullow Oil shares lifted 12% or 10.5p to 97p.
Tullow had announced the proposed acquisition of Energy Africa for $570m.
London shares racked up big gains today on the back of sky-high oil prices and the upbeat outlook in the mining sector.
The FTSE 100 Index bounced back from three straight sessions of losses to close 57.5 points higher at 4547.2 as investors set aside worries over interest rates on both sides of the Atlantic.
Oil giants BP and Shell made strides after the price of a barrel of crude surged to its highest level in 13 years.
Oil group BP advanced 4.75p to 492.25p while Shell improved 7p to 396p as investors looked forward to the companies making further moves into the market to buy their own stock.
Mining stocks suffered in trading last week amid fears that demand in China was slowing, but a positive outlook from Rio Tinto today put them back at the top of the Footsie.
Morale was also boosted by three surveys that showed the pace of economic recovery to be accelerating in the UK.
A lethargic start to trading on Wall Street even failed to wreck the mood as the Dow Jones Industrial Average travelled below the break-even mark today.
Vodafone lifted 2.5p to 139.5p as it took another step in the roll-out of its third generation mobile phone technology by launching commercial 3G services in Europe.
Few major companies are due to report results in London this week but medical devices group Smith & Nephew moved 18.5p higher to 591p as investors looked forward to its first-quarter performance on Thursday.
One of the stocks on the march outside the FTSE 100 Index was internet bank Egg, which climbed 5% or 8p to 163p amid speculation that MBNA is poised to make a bid.
A 57% reduction in annual losses to £25 million failed to prevent business telecoms provider Thus moving 1.25p lower at 27.75p.
The day’s biggest risers were Anglo American, up 40p at 1175p, BHP Billiton cheering 15.5p to 466p, Smith & Nephew advancing 18.5p to 591p and BG Group ahead 9.25p at 335p.
Largest fallers were ICI, down 5.5p at 213.75p, Daily Mail & General Trust off 9.5p at 661p, Hays retreating 1.5p at 116.5p and Carnival weakening 32p at 2495p.
Elsewhere the Dax closed down 16.90 to end the day at 3990.75 today.
The Cac 40 closed down 4.69 to end at 3700.79.
