Britain's top share index hovered just below last month's record highs on Thursday as miners gained ground on expectations that China, the world's largest metals consumer, will launch more stimulus measures to support its economy, Reuters reported. The UK mining index rose 0.6 percent, the top sectoral gainer, after a survey showing Chinese factory activity contracted for a third month in May indicated a persistent weakness in the world's second-largest economy. The blue-chip FTSE 100 index was flat at 7,005.28 points by 1100 GMT, leaving it less than 2 percent below a record high of 7,122.74 points reached in April. The FTSE remains up by around 7 percent since the start of 2015.
