By Sara Sjolin, MarketWatch
LONDON (MarketWatch) -- U.K. stocks climbed at the open on
Tuesday, catching up with a rally in other European markets on
Monday, when London was closed for a bank holiday.
The FTSE 100 index rose 0.4% to 6,801.22, setting it on track
for the highest close since late July.
The gain came after the rest of European stock markets posted
solid gains on Monday, spurred by European Central Bank President
Mario Draghi's unexpected hint at Jackson Hole, Wyo. on Friday that
full-on quantitative easing could be on the way for the region. The
Stoxx Europe 600 index scored the biggest rally in a week after the
comments, but it failed to push higher on Tuesday.
Among major movers in London, shares of Bunzl PLC climbed 2%
after the distributor of cleaning products and outsourcing company
posted a rise in first-half pretax profit.
Shares of WPP PLC picked up 1.7% after the advertising giant
reported a rise in first-half profit as revenue improved.
Banks were also among advancers, with shares of Barclays PLC
(BCS) up 1.1%, HSBC Holdings PLC (HSBC) rising 0.8%, and Royal Bank
of Scotland Group PLC (RBS) 0.5% higher.
Bucking the positive trend, Antofagasta PLC slumped 2.4% after
the miner said earnings fell in the first half of the year, due to
lower copper output and weaker prices.
Petrofac Ltd. gave up 1.9%. The oil-services company reported a
drop in first-half profit, but said it remains on course to achieve
full year targets.
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