By Sara Sjolin, MarketWatch
LONDON (MarketWatch)--The U.K.'s FTSE 100 index inched up on
Wednesday, closing at itsd highest level since early July.
The London benchmark ended 0.1% higher at 6,830.66, marking a
second straight day of gains.
Mining firms were among the top gainers. Shares of
precious-metal producers Randgold Resources Ltd. and Fresnillo PLC
climbed 0.7% and 1.8% respectively, while sector major Glencore PLC
(GLCNF) advanced 1%.
The banking sector continued to rise on Wednesday, after being
among biggest advancers on Tuesday. The gain follows dovish
comments from European Central Bank President Mario Draghi, which
spurred hopes that the ECB will launch full-on quantitative easing
by the end of the year.
Shares of Lloyds Banking Group PLC (LYG) added 0.4% on
Wednesday, and Barclays PLC (BCS) gained 0.3%. Shares of Royal Bank
of Scotland Group PLC (RBS) rose 0.2% even after the U.K. Financial
Conduct Authority fined the bank 14.47 million pounds ($24 million)
for "serious" failings related to mortgage recommendations.
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