Trading was light in Dublin with all the major European markets apart from London closed for the May Day bank holiday. The closure of the German stock market meant that Dublin's electronic trading system was not supported, which put a further brake on activity. It also meant that no ISEQ index was calculated.

The focus of what interest there was centred on Anglo Irish Bank which reported buoyant first-half profits. The fourth-largest bank was upbeat about the prospects for the rest of the year despite foot-and-mouth and the slowdown in the US economy. The shares had rallied in the lead-up to the interims and continued to make progress yesterday, moving up from €3.71 to €3.75.

The other two banks did not fare so well. AIB closed down 20 cents at €12.20 and Bank of Ireland lost six cents to end the day at €10.75. Trading in both banks was described as thin.

Eircom fell six cents to €2.62 on the back of a fall in Vodafone in London. The mobile phone giant's decision to buy BT assets in Spain and Japan pushed its shares down with a knock-on effect on Eircom.

Along with the other leading stocks, CRH was down eight cents at €18.90

James Crean shares were suspended yesterday after the company failed to meet the deadline for publication of its 2000 results. The company was tight-lipped on the reason for the delay but it is understood to relate to agreeing the size of the provision that has to be made in respect of this year. The shares were suspended at 18 cents. Oakhill, in which James Crean has a 25 per cent stake, was down three cents at 22 cents.