IRELAND has once again been described as the most attractive equity market in Europe, by American investment bank, Smith Barney. "Ireland remains the number one market in our July 1996 rankings, based on favourable valuation, growth outlook and risk factors," Smith Barney states in the bank's latest investment bulletin.

According to Smith Barney, all valuation measures except for price to book ratio continue to suggest an attractive equity market. And Ireland"is also considered a low risk market by the American banking group with the Beta risk a measure of a market's volatility the lowest of all the markets monitored by Smith Barney.