Stocks followed the general downward trends on international markets with losses across the board. Technology shares continued to weaken despite better-than-expected results from Nokia. Overall, however, turnover was very light.

The biggest loser in Dublin was CRH, which tumbled 77 cents to €17, with stock on offer at that closing price. Financials were weak across the board, but came back from their lowest levels.

AIB hit a low of €10.60 before closing 29 cents lower on €10.96, while Bank of Ireland traded as low as €9.25 before ending 18 cents lower on €9.32. Irish Life & Permanent was 23 cents lower on €11.52, but Anglo Irish recovered from a low of €3.15 to close down just a cent on €3.23.

Elan was trading down almost 1 per cent in midday NYSE trading on $48.55, Smurfit lost six cents to €2.04, while Waterford Wedgwood - the heaviest-traded stock yesterday with volume of 2.2 million shares - was two cents lower on €0.63.

Alphyra (formerly ITG) was one of the few to gain on the day and was 16 cents higher on €4.61, after the €9.6 million acquisition in the UK which brings in De La Rue as a near-5 per cent shareholder.

Marlborough's latest trading warning saw the share lose five cents to €0.45 but most bad news seems to be already priced into a share which seems destined to leave the market in a MBO.

Technology shares were weaker across the board and Parthus gave up a good chunk of its recent gains, with a 4p fall to 341/2p sterling.

Horizon was seven cents lower on €0.73 and Riverdeep lost 30 cents to €3.40, while on Nasdaq, both SmartForce and Iona were trading lower. AIM minnow Alltracel continued to recover and was 4p higher on 241/2p sterling.