ahead of the New Year holiday.

BF&M 9% preference shares -- which are not a component of the index -- moved ahead 50 cents on volume of 325 to close at $10, a new high for the year.

Argus shares -- possibly buoyed by the declaration of a share dividend -- traded for the first time since before Christmas, remaining unchanged at $11.50 on volume of 165.

There was light trading in both major banks, with Bank of Bermuda unchanged at $20.25 on volume of 500 while the Bank of Butterfield held at $34.875 on volume of 262.