By Sara Sjolin, MarketWatch
LONDON (MarketWatch) -- The U.K.'s benchmark's stock index rose
for the first time in two days on Thursday, getting a lift from
shares of Royal Dutch Shell PLC after the oil giant's earnings
jumped in the second-quarter.
The FTSE 100 index rose 0.3% to 6,793.93, climbing back from a
0.5% drop on Wednesday.
Most U.K. stocks were mired in the red, and a 2.6% gain for
Shell (RDSB) was a major reason the FTSE made it into positive
territory. 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 3.1% after the
company reported a 25% rise in second-quarter earnings.
BP PLC (BP) added 0.9%.
On a more downbeat note, shares of Weir Group PLC lost 2.9%
after the engineering company reported a 4.8% fall in pretax profit
due to the strength of the pound.
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