UK stocks flat as US earnings woes keep lid on sentiment

The FTSE 100 made marginal gains this morning as investors look through a tough session on Wall Street Friday, and a mixed day in Asia, to focus on an expected improvement in economic data later this week.

London's leading index has reversed an early setback to climb 11 points to 5,907 by 10:33am, with miners and banks providing a lift. The gains are being mirrored in Europe where the French and German markets are also seeing marginal rises, shrugging off the heavy losses seen in the US on Friday as investors focus on positive news out of Spain. Both the Dow and the S&P 500 closed down over 1.5% on Friday, after weak US earnings reports hit sentiment. US shares have enjoyed a strong rally this year, and stand near record highs, but it means they are susceptible to sell-offs, with man...