By Sara Sjolin, MarketWatch

Index slips 0.2% to 6,761.02, trimming monthly gain

LONDON (MarketWatch) -- Most U.K. stocks traded in negative territory on Thursday, but a solid performance from Royal Dutch Shell Plc curbed the FTSE 100's losses after the oil giant's earnings jumped in the second-quarter.

The FTSE 100 index slipped 0.2% to 6,761.02, trimming its monthly gain to 0.2%.

Rising to the top of the benchmark, Shell (RDSB) put on 3.7% after the oil major said its second-quarter profit more than doubled as it benefited from higher liquid-petroleum prices and higher prices for specific products.

Another energy heavyweight, BG Group Plc advanced 1.4% after the company reported a 25% rise in second-quarter earnings.

BP Plc (BP) added 0.6%.

More broadly, the majority of U.K. stocks declined, tracking a downbeat sentiment in the rest of Europe and in U.S. stock futures.

Among falling stocks in London, shares of Weir Group Plc lost 4.1% after the engineering company reported a 4.8% fall in pretax profit due to the strength of the pound.

Lloyds Banking Group Plc (LYG) fell 2.8% after the U.K. lender said profit fell sharply in the first half of the year due to a number of legacy charges.

Schroders Plc dropped 3.3% after the global asset management company said the short-term outlook for retail investor demand is uncertain.

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