The Irish market held its head above water in quiet trading yesterday, as global markets nervously anticipated the September 11th anniversary.
Settlement Day: September 12th
With the overall market closing up 0.83 per cent, the biggest interest was shown in CRH, with 5.8 million shares changing hands. The stock closed down five cents at €14.50. CRH announced yesterday that Capital Group now holds a 4.77 per cent stake in the company.
Fellow heavyweight, Ryanair, gained 16 cents to reach €5.63.
In financials, the two main banks fared reasonably well, with AIB closing up 19 cents at €12.57 and Bank of Ireland ending unchanged at €11.10. Anglo Irish gained one cent to reach €6.25, as 1.6 million shares were traded, while First Active closed up seven cents at €4.87.
Elsewhere, Galen was buoyed by Friday's share cancellation, gaining 40 cents to reach €6.85. Galen chairman Dr John King informed the company yesterday that he had transferred his entire 8 per cent Galen shareholding to his 100 per cent-owned company, Arindale Investments.
Other risers on the day included Horizon, up five cents at 25 cents after relatively positive results, and Independent News & Media, which regained some of last week's losses to close up six cents at €1.50. The company announced yesterday that Capital Group now holds 11.99 per cent of its stock.
In other smaller caps, Dunloe Ewart gained two cents to reach 35 cents amid continuing speculation about stock ownership at the company. Just under 1.4 million shares in Dunloe changed hands yesterday.
