BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - U.K. stocks advanced on Thursday to extend gains for the fourth straight session as strong French manufacturing data helped ease growth worries and the pound weakened ahead of the European Union's decision on whether to grant Britain a Brexit extension.
Sentiment was also boosted after AstraZeneca raised its annual product sales forecast for the second time this year.
Investors await the outcome of Mario Draghi's final policy meeting at the helm of the European Central Bank and his press conference later today, though no policy changes are expected after the ECB launched new stimulus measures just last month.
The benchmark FTSE 100 was up 54 points, or 0.74 percent, at 7,315 after climbing 0.7 percent the previous day.
Drug major AstraZeneca rallied 3.5 percent as it continued its strong sales performance in the third quarter.
Lender Royal Bank of Scotland fell 2.3 percent after it swung to a quarterly loss, hit by payment protection insurance costs following a late surge in claims ahead of the August deadline.
Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX
© 2019 AFX News
