Big Read

Big Read: Shaky stock exchange soul-searches in bid to revive public trading

With the departure of CRH, Euronext’s largest trading company, the capital markets are concerned as the pace of de-listings from the Irish exchange ramps up

CRH, the biggest company trading its shares on Euronext Dublin, has de-listed as part of a move to the US. Picture: Nathan Laine/Bloomberg

In 2020, staff in the capital markets division of Davy Stockbrokers drew up an internal strategy document setting out their plans for the years ahead.

Baked into it was the assumption that some of the biggest companies listed on Ireland’s stock exchange – CRH and Flutter potentially among them – would eventually outgrow the markets in this country and depart, thereby robbing Davy of business.

But if the country’s largest stockbroker was prepared for turbulence, ...