Dublin report:Trading in Dublin was quiet as most dealers closed off their books after a strong year and simply monitored their existing positions.
Volumes were described as extremely light, with little news flow to prompt anyone to alter their positions.
Despite the sleepy atmosphere, the market ends the year in a healthy position, with the Iseq up 28 per cent over the year. Approximately €24 billion has been added to the value of Irish shares this year.
This upward swing should guarantee healthy bonuses for many in the stockbroking community, but not on the scale of those awarded in the US or UK, some of which have reached more than $50 million.
On the day the Iseq came in at 9,408.12, down 36.69 points, but all week the index has been hitting highs so the end-of-year sentiment was very positive.
One of the few announcements on the day came from Glanbia - it sold its interest in Cheese Company Holdings. It appeared to leave the market unmoved, with Glanbia shares falling from €3.05 to €2.96.
Aer Lingus was one of the losers of recent days, mainly because its load factors appear to have disappointed the market. The airline is adding short-haul capacity but is finding it hard to fill the seats at the same levels of old. Its shares dropped to €2.70 on Thursday, but there was some recovery yesterday when the stock rebounded to €2.74.
Elsewhere it was a case of small incremental movement. AIB started the day at €22.65, but shed some to end at €22.50. C&C's apparently inexorable rise was stymied on the day, with the share beginning the day at €13.46 but slipping to €13.45.
Independent News and Media (IN&M) was down marginally at just over €3.
