NCB Stockbrokers is forecasting that the ISEQ Index of Irish stocks could go higher than 6,000 this year. Speaking at an equity conference sponsored by the firm yesterday, NCB's head of equity research, Mr John Reynolds, also predicted that Irish financial stocks would rally over the next few months.

The brokers suggest investor fixation with technology, media and telecommunications stocks worldwide will increasingly shift towards the traditional, old-economy stocks during 2000 and will give a boost to financial and industrial companies which have suffered most.