By Sara Sjolin, MarketWatch

LONDON (MarketWatch) -- After rising for two straight weeks, U.K. stocks continued to advance on Monday, led by resource firms, while GlaxoSmithKline PLC dropped after disappointing test results.

The benchmark rose 0.2% to 6,625.89, on track for a second straight day in positive territory. For the quarter, however, the FTSE was eyeing a 1.8% decline.

Mining stocks rose alongside mostly higher metals prices. Shares of Rio Tinto PLC (RIO) gained 2.3%, Anglo American PLC picked up 2%, Antofagasta PLC advanced 0.6% and BHP Billiton PLC (BHP) rose 0.5%.

The sector also experienced reasonable gains last week, after weak data from China spurred speculation Beijing would launch fresh easing measures to boost the economy and avoid a sharp slowdown.

On Monday, energy firms also showed positive moves, with shares of BG Group PLC 1.2% higher and Royal Dutch Shell PLC (RDSB) rising 0.8%. Oil prices moved slightly higher, inching closer to $102 a barrel.

Insurance firms rebounded from losses seen on Friday, when the sector was hit hard by a report in The Telegraph of plans of an investigation by the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority into older pensions and savings plans. The FCA on Friday issued a statement to clarify that it wasn't looking at applying current standards retrospectively and said on Monday it launched an independent investigation into a briefing one of its directors gave to the newspaper.

Shares of Resolution Ltd. gained 1.6%, Aviva PLC rose 1.5% and Legal & General Group PLC added 0.9%.

Shares of Babcock International Group PLC jumped 4.5% after the engineering company said the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority has selected the company's joint venture, Cavendish Fluor Partnership, as the preferred bidder to buy Magnox Ltd. and Research Sites Restoration Ltd., the license companies for 12 U.K. nuclear sites.

On a more downbeat note, shares of GlaxoSmithKline PLC (GSK) lost 0.9% after the drug maker released disappointing results from a late-stage study of Darapladib, a new heart disease drug.

Separately, the Bank of England said the number of loan approvals for house purchases was a weaker-than-expected 70,309 in February, compared with an average of 69,563 over the previous six months.

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