By Sara Sjolin, MarketWatch
LONDON (MarketWatch) -- The U.K.'s FTSE 100 index ended slightly
higher after a wobbly session on Thursday, with optimism over a
dovish European Central Bank offsetting declines among drug
makers.
The FTSE 100 index closed 0.2% higher at 6,551.15, after trading
as high as 6,580.21 earlier in the afternoon.
The afternoon optimism came after ECB President Mario Draghi
hinted the Governing Council is moving toward full-blown
quantitative easing if current measures aren't enough to beef up
the sluggish eurozone economy.
The Bank of England offered no surprises, keeping its key
lending rate at 0.5%, a record low, and the size of its bond
portfolio at 375 billion pounds ($599 billion).
Adding pressure in London, shares of AstraZenaca PLC dropped
0.6%, after the drug maker reported a sharp decline in
third-quarter profit. GlaxoSmithKline PLC (GSK) lost 0.3%.
RSA Insurance Group PLC lost 5% after the company posted a
decline in net written premiums.
On a more upbeat note, shares of Randgold Resources Ltd. jumped
8.2% after the gold producer reported a rise in third-quarter
profit, as higher output offset lower gold prices.
In U.K. data news, the Office for National Statistics said
production rose 1.5% in September, year-over-year, a tad lower than
consensus forecasts, according to FactSet.
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