BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - U.K. stocks eked out modest gains on Tuesday as a new round of Brexit talks began and investors looked ahead to the release of minutes of the U.S. Federal Reserve's monetary policy meeting for any clues to policy changes at its September meeting.
The benchmark FTSE 100 inched up 0.2 percent to 6,137 after rising 0.6 percent on Monday.
Miner BHP Group declined 1.6 percent after reporting a 4 percent drop in annual net profit.
BP Plc and Royal Dutch Shell were moving higher after oil prices rose in the previous session amid reports that China would boost U.S. crude imports.
Marks & Spencer Group shares tumbled 3.2 percent. The retailer said it plans to cut a further 7,000 jobs over the next three months.
AstraZeneca rose 0.6 percent after it announced acceptance for supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) for Imfinzi (durvalumab).
Engineering and consultancy company Wood Group soared 8 percent. After reporting a loss in the first half, the company said it remains committed to delivering medium term EBITDA margin target of 100 basis points improvement on 2019.
Capita lost 10 percent. The outsourcer reported a first-half loss before tax of £28.5 million compared to a profit of £31.2 million last year.
Housebuilder Persimmon surged 4.5 percent after saying it will restore its dividend.
Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX