DUBLIN REPORT: Iseq: 3,454.78 (-14.71) Settlement date: September 23th: WHILE BANKING shares dominated activity on Thursday, it was the turn of CRH yesterday – the official date for its inclusion on the Dow Jones EuroStoxx 50 index.

More than 30 million CRH shares were traded on the Iseq.

While CRH’s share price had been advancing throughout the week in anticipation of the announcement, the price surged towards the end of yesterday’s trading session to coincide with the official announcement at 4.30pm. The stock finished the day 95 cent higher, a gain of 4.8 per cent, to close at €20.70.

The performance of CRH, the largest constituent on the Irish exchange, failed to boost the overall performance of the Iseq which ended the day lower, dragged down by a fall in bank shares as the market settled down in the wake of the Nama valuation announcement on Wednesday.

Nonetheless, there was healthy activity around bank shares, with one Dublin trader noting significant international interest, particularly in Bank of Ireland.

Both AIB and Bank of Ireland fell significantly in early trading, but regained some of the losses to end the day 2 per cent and 3.8 per cent lower respectively.

Traders noted signs of profit-taking in Irish Life Permanent, the only listed financial institution which is not directly involved in the Nama process. It was off just over 10 per cent or 60 cent on the day, closing at €5.25.

Drinks company CC had a strong performance, advancing 14 cent to €3.20, as it gained clearance from the Competition Authority on its Tennants deal yesterday. Analysts also noted that Magners performed slightly better than expected in August.

Independent News Media reversed its 12 per cent gain in the previous session, losing 8 per cent of its value yesterday as speculation continued about tensions among the board members.