THE Dublin market was quiet yesterday with stocks generally holding fairly steady throughout the day. Most traders are expecting the latest lull could last until Thursday, with results from IWP and Greencore likely to liven things up again.
The value of shares in Dublin slipped marginally lower following a weaker trend internationally.
Bank of Ireland slipped back on profit taking, ending down 3p to 517p, having recovered from lows of 516p earlier in the day. AIB also lost some ground, closing down a penny to 391p. Anglo Irish also took on a weaker tone, moving down 1 1/2p to 72p.
Other financials faired better however, with Irish Life gaining 2p to 277p and Irish Permanent up 3p to 485p, while Woodchester went 2p higher to 212p.
CRH also drifted lower, dropping 4p to 600p. Smurfit was unchanged at 166p in relatively thin trading.
Jurys moved ahead, buoyed by signs of a good performance in the British hotel sector. On the day, Jurys added 3p to 280p. Grafton also made good strides, making the single biggest gains, adding 10p to close at 700p.
Stocks in the food sector enjoyed mixed fortunes. Golden Vale went a penny better at 65p, while Kerry lost 5p to 665p and Fyffes traded down a penny to 106p. Ahead of its results, Greencore was virtually unchanged at just over 358p, while Waterford Foods gained 2p to 88p.
The gilt market had a mixed day, with short dated stock losing ground, while 10 year paper edged slightly higher. Dealers said the strength of the pound on the currency market had put some bid interest into the market.
The 6.5 per cent bond due in 2001 lost 5p from Friday's close to £102.70 to yield 5.67 per cent. The 8 per cent bond due in 2006 added 15p to £110.45 to yield 6.40 per cent.
