Financials down as Iseq falls

The Iseq Index is trading down half of 1 per cent this lunchtime following another disappointing morning for financial stocks…

The Iseq Index is trading down half of 1 per cent this lunchtime following another disappointing morning for financial stocks.

AIB was the biggest loser of the morning having shed 9 per cent and fallen to €0.37. This comes ahead of a trading update for the bank which is due later this week.

Irish Life and Permanent, which faces competition in its bid for EBS Building Society and is also due to issue an interim report this week, dropped 4 per cent this morning to €0.83 cent.

Bank of Ireland is also trading in the red this lunch time, down one quarter of a per cent to €0.39.

United Drug, bookmaker Paddy Power, insurer FBD and building materials group CRH have all made small gains on the day.

The Iseq Index was at 2,680.93 at 1pm.

Elsewhere, the FTSE 100 was down 84.92 points, or 1.5 percent, at 5,735.49 in London at lunchtime.

The Stoxx Europe 600 Index slumped 1.2 per cent ahead of a meeting of European finance ministers who will be seeking to put an end to rumours of bailouts for Ireland and other euro zone nations.