Dublin report:The Irish market eased back slightly from Thursday's record, ending its seasonal half-day trading down 3.26 points or just 0.03 per cent to 9,314.22.
Given the Christmas season, trading was relatively light, with little in the way of corporate newsflow.
Most of the action was focused on Siteserv, which yesterday announced the acquisition of formwork and scaffolding provider Easy Access, a company operating from sites at Clondalkin in Dublin, Tuam in Galway and Glanmire in Cork. The acquisition was viewed positively by the market, with Siteserv picking up one cent to end the day at €1.10, double its flotation price of 55 cent last month.
Elsewhere, Independent News & Media released a trading update which was broadly in line with expectations. Its share price was three cent stronger at €2.98 on the back of expectations that advertising revenues are to rise by more than 4 per cent in the full year 2006 and newspaper circulation revenues by more than 5 per cent.
Fyffes's property spin-off Blackrock International advanced two cent following its announcement that it anticipates reporting an increase in its net asset value per share of more than 6 per cent and that its gross property assets had risen to almost €340 million, an increase of more than 70 per cent.
Fyffes ended the day unchanged at €1.78.
Ryanair shrugged off any concerns over the impact of freezing fog on the aviation sector in Britain, forging ahead five cent to end the day at €10.15. Aer Lingus was again unchanged at €2.73.
Financials again put in a mixed day, with AIB the biggest loser as it dropped 45 cent to €22.55. Bank of Ireland picked up six cent to €17.33; FBD dropped 25 cent to close at €41.15.
