Taking stock of 2013

It was a year of mixed fortunes for the Irish Stock Exchange, with some big hitters disappearing, but five new companies launching, writes Barry J Whyte.

Deirdre Somers, chief executive of the Irish Stock Exchange. Picture: Bloomberg

Much like the broader story of Ireland's exit from the bail-out years, the return to some degree of health of the Irish Stock Exchange was a rather mixed story this year.

The Iseq index, for example, was the best performing index of shares in Europe for much of the year, up nearly 28 per cent by the end of the year, and it had exceeded its record volume of trades with more than ...