Upbeat earnings lift UK stocks ahead of ECB meeting, U.S. inflation data By Reuters

(Reuters) – A clutch of upbeat corporate earnings reports lifted UK stocks on Thursday, while investors turned to a European Central Bank policy meeting and U.S. inflation data for cues on whether global central banks could start tightening monetary policy.

The export-heavy FTSE 100 rose 0.2%, tracking small gains in Asian stocks. The mid-cap FTSE 250 was flat.

Pharmaceutical, personal goods and insurance stocks were among the biggest sectoral gainers in the UK by 0702 GMT.

In company news, online trading platform CMC Markets rose 1.5% as it said annual profits more than doubled.

BT Group (LON:BT) jumped 2.9% to the top of the FTSE 100 as Patrick Drahi’s Altice Group said it had taken a 12.1% stake in the company, becoming its largest shareholder.