Volumes picked up slightly on the Irish Stock Exchange yesterday, with the Iseq index of Irish shares finishing the day down 0.74 per cent on a day when many European markets were up.

There was heavy trading in Grafton, with 3.6 million shares changing hands in Dublin. It finished the day up 7 cent at €11.50, climbing 0.61 per cent, amid speculation that the group, which owns the Woodie's DIY and Atlantic Homecare chains, is reaping the benefits of spending by Special Savings Incentive Account (SSIA) holders.

There was more dealing in Greencore following the company's settlement with staff at its Mallow plant, and the stock climbed just over 2 per cent to €4.40.

Also among the good performers on the Iseq was United Drug, which saw interest from overseas investors.

Volume was relatively light at 166,000, but the stock climbed almost 4 per cent on the day, up 15 cent at €4.00. Insurance company FBD had a decent day, climbing more than 2 per cent to close at €39.25, up 83 cent on the back of 200,000 shares traded.

Elsewhere, Independent News & Media was up 2 cent at €3.29, while C&C finished flat at €11.48 on decent volume.

Elan was the biggest faller of the day, dropping 49 cent to close at €9.80, down 4.76 per cent, while technology group Horizon also had a poor day, going down 4.27 per cent to €1.12.

Interest remains strong in Anglo Irish Bank, which is holding up better than the other financials. It dropped just 1 cent to €16.27, while AIB fell 19 cent to €22.50. Bank of Ireland and Irish Life & Permanent fell by 20 cent and 25 cent respectively.

Smurfit Kappa was up 0.55 per cent at €18.40, adding 10 cent on the day.