U.K. stocks held steady on Thursday ahead of a policy meeting of the Bank of England (BoE) later in the day.
The central bank is set to hold its policy rate flat for a sixth meeting in a row, with focus likely to be on the MPC vote split, inflation outlook and Governor Andrew Bailey's comments.
The benchmark FTSE 100 was marginally higher at 8,361 after rising half a percent on Wednesday.
Oil & gas stocks traded higher as crude prices extended overnight gains on positive trade data from China. BP Plc climbed 0.8 percent and Shell added half a percent.
Oil services company John Wood Group added about 1 percent after confirming its FY24 and FY25 guidance.
ITV rallied 1.8 percent despite the broadcaster reporting a fall in first-quarter revenues.
BAE Systems rose 0.7 percent. The arms, security and aerospace company backed its FY24 outlook after delivering a strong performance so far this year.
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