The Royal Gazette/Bermuda Stock Exchange Index edged up last week as heavy trading volume did not do much to move stock prices.

The Index ended the week up 29.17 points (0.58 percent) at 4,007.38 as some 126,554 shares worth $3.7 million changed hands.

Leading the gainers were insurer BF&M, which rose $1 or 5.48 percent to $19.25 on volume of 7,250 shares.

Fellow insurer Argus slipped, falling 35 cents to $14.75 on heavy trading of 49,700 shares.

Index bellwether Butterfield Bank gained 25 cents to close at $59.25 on volume of 46,509.

Belco was the other gainer for the week, rising 80 cents (3.48 percent) on thin volume of 348 shares.

Trading unchanged were Bermuda Commercial Bank ($9, 230 shares), West Hamilton Ltd. ($60, 500 shares), Kentucky Fried Chicken ($6, 22,000 shares) and Bermuda Aviation Services ($6.25 , 20 shares).

The Bermuda Insurance Index, which tracks the shares of publicly traded Bermuda-based international insurance and reinsurance companies, fell 1.92 points or 0.17 percent to 1,144.78 at the end of a topsy-turvy week on world stock markets.