Market report:After a rollercoaster of a day, the Iseq index finished down 0.6 per cent yesterday, as the positive economic sentiment gleaned from strong retail sales in Britain was undone by poor jobless claims figures in the US.

AIB couldn't sustain its market-beating performance on Wednesday with a second positive day in a row, and the stock duly fell 10 cents to €13.80.

Anglo Irish Bank dropped almost 1.5 per cent, losing 13 cents to finish at €8.84, while Irish Life & Permanent was even weaker, falling back 29 cents to close at €10.20, down 2.7 per cent.

This left Bank of Ireland to take the honours for the best performing financial stock, adding five cent to close at €9.50, up half a per cent. But overall, the Irish banks underperformed their European peers.

Elsewhere, building materials group CRH added 15 cents to close at €25.95.

It was a poor day for food group IAWS, identified by NCB Stockbrokers as being exposed to a strong euro to the tune of 5 per cent of earnings. The stock fell 5 per cent at one point, but eventually closed down 30 cents at €12.35 - a drop of 2.3 per cent - as rumours circulated of stakebuilding by other parties in Hiestand, the Swiss baker in which IAWS has a 32 per cent interest.

Ryanair was again the recipient of fevered two-way interest, with plenty of bullish buyers around to meet the oil-sceptic sellers. The stock traded in a tight range before eventually closing down 3 cents at €3.36.

Despite a downgrade by Davy Research on its earnings, insulation group Kingspan managed to finish marginally up at a price of €9.15.

Settlement date: February 26th