The Iseq index of Irish shares closed up 25 points at 6,143 this afternoon, after a topsy-turvy day that saw many stocks endure wild swings in their share price. European markets rose in the afternoon in line with the Dow Jones in New York.
Irish banks trading on the Iseq managed to escape the worst of the fallout from Royal Bank of Scotland's plea for cash from shareholders, which dragged FTSE-listed banks in London down by an average of 3-4 per cent.
Concerns about further banking writedowns had depressed the Dublin market and pushed it into negative territory in the early part of the day.