Market Report:The Irish stock market finished higher yesterday but dealers said volumes remained thin and newsflow light while the performance of leading shares was mixed.

AIB had a good day, advancing by 17 cent, or 1 per cent, to €17.12 as dealers reported some switching out of Bank of Ireland. It fared less well, losing nine cent of its value to €12.81 while Anglo Irish Bank also drifted lower, ending the day three cent lower at €11.07.

Ryanair, which hit €7 on Tuesday, drifted back by five cent to €6.95 despite continued takeover speculation around its low-cost British rival, Easyjet.

Iceland's FL Group raised its stake in the airline to 16.2 per cent, but assurances from Easyjet's founder that his and his family's stakes were not for sale dampened the share price. After gaining 6 per cent on Tuesday, Easyjet stock shed 1.3 per cent yesterday.

Elan was little changed, adding just one cent to €6.91 in Dublin ahead of the release of third-quarter results today. Investors are still hoping for further information on suspended multiple sclerosis drug, Tysabri, as well as an update on other activities, including its Alzheimer's programme, and the current rate of cash burn.

Other stocks of note yesterday included DCC, which added 20 cent, or 1.3 per cent, to €15.45 on the back of buying interest, and Grafton, which gained four cent to €8.19.

Eircom and Independent News & Media were active, if range-bound. More than three million shares in the telecoms group traded but it only gained a cent to €1.95 while Independent also added a cent to €2.31 in volume of more than two million shares.

Greencore was among the day's main losers, shedding seven cent or more than 2 per cent to €3.15. Shares in Viridian were unchanged in Dublin at €11.30 despite speculation that it might be a likely bidder for Gama Construction's stake in Tynagh Energy.