Market report: The market was little changed yesterday, failing to react to stronger-than-expected UK retail sales and with limited trading volumes.

Takeover target, Jurys Doyle, continued its gains, adding 40 cent to end the day at €15.50, ahead of the €15.25 offer that was spurned by the company's board earlier this week.

Dealers are expecting a rival bid for the hotel operator.

Eircom was another gainer adding 4 cent on strong volume to end the day at €1.90.

The company is due to report its results next week and dealers are expecting a positive outlook on the company's performance as well as an update on speculation about its possible acquisition of mobile phone operator Meteor.

The stock's performance may also have been boosted by the strong earnings report released yesterday by the UK's BT Group.

Ryanair added 4 cents to close at €6.16, a move traders attributed to the drop in the price of oil.

The financials were quiet, with Allied Irish and Bank of Ireland slipping 1 cent each.

Allied Irish closed at €16.59, while Bank of Ireland ended the day at €12.37.

Irish Life & Permanent was up 10 cents at €13.62. The company is expected to give a brief trading update today at its annual general meeting and sources expect it to be positive.

Anglo Irish gained 13 cents to €9.65.

IAWS stock was in demand as more than a million shares in the food and agricultural business changed hands, twice the normal daily amount. It closed up 4 cent at €12.29. Elsewhere, Grafton failed to react strongly to the UK sales figures, adding only 5 cent, to €8.90.

Moving in the other direction, Paddy Power ended the day down 6 cents at €13.54.

The company confirmed that one of its directors, David Power, who until yesterday held 9.7 per cent of the company's stock, sold 500,000 shares in the company.

Settlement date: May 24th