Dublin edged up today ahead of the May Day holiday on very light volumes and some good economic news out of the US.
The ISEQ closed the day up 24.2 points, or 0.38 per cent, to 6,338.52 points on what one broker described as “very nearly the quietest day of the year."
Construction stocks Grafton and Kingspan led the market lower in the morning following a downbeat note from stockbrokers NCB and more gloom from the UK housing market.
US and other European stocks rallied after economic data painted a surprisingly resilient picture of the American economy.
At midday, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 92.08 points, or 0.72 percent, at 12,924.02. TheStandard & Poor's 500 Index was up 3.79 points, or 0.27 percent, at 1,394.73. The Nasdaq Composite Index was up 11.75 points, or 0.48 percent, at 2,437.85.
European shares rose, boosted by the U.S. economic data and a raft of bullish company results, to post their best monthly performance in 4-1/2 years.
The FTSEurofirst 300 index of top European shares closed up 0.7 percent at 1,337.68 points, the fifth gain out of the past six sessions. The index rose 6 percent in April, its best monthly performance since October 2003.