The Irish market played "follow the leader" with the rest of the world's markets yesterday, eventually closing the day 108.23 points up at 5,357.75, some 2 per cent stronger. Financials enjoyed a good day in line with the general European banking sector, which was 4 per cent stronger yesterday.

AIB made the biggest gains, picking up 35 cents to €10.97 on thin volumes of just more than 670,000 shares. Bank of Ireland advanced 15 cents to €9.46 on equally small volumes of around 700,000 shares traded.

There was much more interest in Anglo Irish Bank, with just under three million shares changing hands. It closed the day 11 cents stronger at €3.34. Elsewhere, Irish Life & Permanent picked up six cents to €11.67, while First Active closed the day unchanged at €3.05.

Volumes were also light among the leading stocks, which were very much driven by events on European bourses, rather than stock-specific. However, a €2.05 rise to €57.65 in Elan's share price - which makes up around a quarter of the ISEQ index - helped to push the Irish market higher.

CRH reversed its losing trend of recent days, gaining back 37 cents to €17.43, with less than one million shares traded. Smurfit advanced four cents to €2.08 on similar volumes, while Green Property jumped 10 cents to €6.20. Waterford Wedgwood continued its good run, picking up two cents to €0.69.

As the Irish market closed, Irish tech stocks on the Nasdaq were trading firmly. Smartforce was 2 per cent stronger at €18.15; Trintech was just more than 11 per cent up at $1.90, and Riverdeep was 11.5 per cent firmer at $20.65.