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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