By Sara Sjolin and Carla Mozee, MarketWatch
LONDON (MarketWatch) -- U.K. equities turned higher Friday,
leaving the benchmark FTSE 100 up for the week, but cautious
guidance from Intertek Group kept the product-testing company's
shares in the red.
The FTSE 100 rose 0.2% at 6,855.81. It looked set for a second
consecutive session of losses, but reversed course alongside the
broader European market. The move put the FTSE 100's weekly rise at
0.6%.
U.K. supermarket stocks were among the best performing Friday,
as shares of J Sainsbury PLC climbed 4.5%, Wm. Morrison
Supermarkets PLC gained 3.8%, and Tesco PLC rose 2.6%.
Shares of Intertek finished off session lows but still marked a
3.2% decline after the company said market conditions remain
variable "with good growth in our key product-related business
lines, but weak demand in certain other markets."
Mining firms also came under pressure as metals prices were
mixed. Shares of Rio Tinto PLC (RIO) fell 2.5%, Anglo American PLC
gave up 2.9% and BHP Billiton PLC (BHP) shed 0.5%.
More broadly, developments in Ukraine also kept investors on
edge Friday. Bloomberg News reported that Ukrainian troops have
moved to force separatists from their eastern rebel bases near the
towns of Slovyansk and Kramatorsk, citing acting President
Oleksandr Turchynov. Meanwhile, U.S. and U.K. diplomats vowed to
impose further industrywide sanctions on Russia if the country
undermines Ukraine's presidential election, set for May 25.
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