The effects of yesterday's three-hour halt in electronic trading on the Irish market were apparent in last night's end-of-day figures, with just a handful of stocks managing to record volume of more than one million shares.

Ryanair was, predictably, one of the busier companies, with some 1.6 million shares changing hands, as shares in the airline slipped eight cents to €5.20.

The financials as a group were notably quiet, with performances mixed across the sector.

Anglo Irish Bank was the strongest of the group as shares rose 3.4 per cent to €13.70, having lost ground earlier in the week. Dealers said the market was optimistic on the stock, with investors eyeing price targets in the region of €15.50.

AIB closed at €13.30, up 15 cents, while Bank of Ireland fell by 18 cents to €11.29. Irish Life & Permanent added 10 cents to close at €13.50, amid expectations that the group's full-year results, due at the start of next month, could surprise on the upside.

Waterford Wedgwood was by far the busiest stock on the day, with some 18.5 million shares changing hands before the end of the session. The company closed unchanged at 26 cents.

CRH went better, rising 11 cents to €17.20 as US peer, Lafarge North America, reported strong fourth-quarter results.

In food stocks, Kerry gained 10 cents to close at €14.50 as investors looked to good results from Pepisco/Frito-Lay, one of Kerry's most important clients.

IAWS was also solid, rising 12 cents to €9.60. Greencore fell by nine cents to €3.20 in the wake of Thursday's trading update.

United Drug was an outperformer as it rose by nine cents to €2.50, albeit on reasonably low volume. The firm's annual general meeting is scheduled for next week.

Galen rose by 9.5p to £7.97 sterling in London amid reports that a US regulatory investigation into an agreement with Barr Pharmaceuticals could be close to positive resolution. Galen will release first-quarter numbers on Monday.Dublin ReportSettlement Day: February 11th