LONDON: Britain’s FTSE 100 index opened 10 to 11 points up or 0.2 percent higher on Wednesday trading.
The FTSE 100 index was down 51.51 points, or 0.7 percent, at 6,889.13 points at the close on Tuesday, not far from a record high of 6,974.26 points set in the previous session.
British broadcaster ITV ITV.L plans to return 250 million pounds ($383.5 million) to shareholders via a special dividend after posting a better-than-expected 23 percent rise in 2014 pretax profit and predicting a strong first quarter.
Insurer Legal & General said on Wednesday its operating profit rose 10 percent in 2014 to 1.28 billion pounds ($1.96 billion), with company pension deals boosting sales of annuities.
Royal Bank of Scotland is aiming to cut as many as 14,000 jobs in its investment banking units across the United States and Asia, the Financial Times reported.
Australia’s Bengalla coal mine has been cleared to boost output by a third and operate for another two decades, majority owner Rio Tinto said on Wednesday.
