Market Report: The Dublin market was down marginally (9.25 points or 0.1 per cent) on the day, with slim volumes in the morning, increasing slightly in the afternoon.

A strong opening lead from Wall Street gave a boost to afternoon trading, but traders described the day as relatively quiet with little corporate news.

With results due for the critical summer period on Monday, trading in Ryanair was relatively brisk. The stock finished up 20 cents at €7.30, with traders expecting few surprises from the half-year figures.

"It is always interesting to see how the airline coped in the summer but, based on the figures for other airlines during this period, they should be relatively solid," said one trader.

The spectre of the Charleroi judgment still hangs over the stock, another trader acknowledged, although it had had no impact on trading this week. The judgment is expected in mid-November.

Elan was down again, falling 22 cents to close at €4.25 despite a reasonably strong response to its cash call. One trader said the response to the share offering helped the stock recover slightly in the afternoon.

"Its a step in the right direction. There are less concerns about its liquidity position now, but people will probably keep a watching brief," said a trader.

Overall the bank sector was probably the most lively, with strength in Anglo Irish Bank, which closed up five cents at €10.33, and Bank of Ireland, which finished five cents stronger at €10.60, offset by a 12 cent fall for AIB, which closed at €12.58.

Other notables were CRH, which gave up 35 cents at €15.47 and the Grafton Group, where shares rose 25 cents at €5.35.