By Sara Sjolin, MarketWatch Stagecoach rallies after winning East Coast rail contract

LONDON (MarketWatch) -- The U.K.'s FTSE 100 index edged higher Thursday, led by gains for banking firm Barclays PLC after a ratings upgrade.

The London benchmark rose 0.1% to 6,737.34. The index on Wednesday slipped 2 points.

Barclays (BCS) was the top advancer, rising 1.8% after Goldman Sachs lifted the bank to buy from neutral.

But energy companies tracking oil prices were lower, as a closely watched meeting at the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries got underway.

All eyes were on the oil sector on Thursday as OPEC members gathered in Vienna to decide whether to cut production to remove some of the glut in supply in global markets and boost oil prices. Crude-oil (CLF5) tanked nearly 2% to $72.38 a barrel ahead of the decision, weighing on the FTSE's oil majors.

Shares of Petrofac Ltd. dropped 2.8%, Tullow Oil PLC lost 0.6%, and Royal Dutch Shell PLC (RDSB) gave up 0.7%. BP PLC (BP) fell 0.2%, but was off session lows.

Outside the main benchmark, Stagecoach Group PLC jumped 6% after the transportation operator, in collaboration with Virgin, won the franchise to run the East Coast rail route.

You're invited: A free evening event focusing on investing opportunities in Europe

Will you be in London on Dec. 3? Then you're invited to our MarketWatch Investing Insights event, "The worse Europe gets, the more you should invest."

Governments are in trouble, reform efforts have stalled, unemployment is climbing. The news from the eurozone is bleak, and investors are fleeing. But that's a mistake: The worse the economic data from Europe get, the more you should be buying. Why? Because actions by the ECB will boost asset prices and the stock market in particular. And, big exporters can grow sales. Lower costs and steady sales translate into higher profits and dividends. Join us for an evening of cocktails and conversation to explore these opportunities.

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This event is free, but RSVPs are required. It will be held Wednesday evening, Dec. 3, in London. For more information or to RSVP, send an email to marketwatchevent@wsj.com.

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