IRISH stocks rose on thin trading stimulated by renewed interest in, the two main bank stocks. But there were signs of worry in the market that the Dow's recent weakness might continue. AIB rose 4p to 357p sterling, while Bank of Ireland jumped from 462p sterling to 471p sterling for a time before falling back to close down at 457 1/2p. The EU said yesterday it had started a routine investigation into Bank of Ireland's plans to merge its US retail operation with that of the Royal Bank of Scotland.
Woodchester rose 2p to 177p while Irish Life was 6p firmer at 250p. Irish Permanent was unchanged at 400p and Anglo Irish Bankcorp was 1/2p weaker at 64 1/2p
Among the leading industrials, CRH fell back from 472p sterling to 458p, while Smurfit was 4p firmer at 164p. Greencore was up a penny at 538p while Avonmore was 1 1/2p weaker at 127 1/2p. Hogas was 3p stronger and closed at 235p while Fyffes ended the session unchanged at 105p.
Exploration stocks had a mixed day as Navan was up 7p to 145p while both Ivernia and Tullow dropped a penny to close at 68p, and 73p respectively.
Meanwhile longer-dated gilts extended their gains boosted by a positive start by US Treasuries, according to dealers.