Britain's top share index rose 0.5 percent in morning trade on Thursday, helped by oil, banking and insurance shares, and as investors eyed the outcome of the Bank of England's monetary policy review later in the session, according to Reuters. At 0819 GMT the benchmark FTSE 100 index was up 20.79 points at 4,404.21. The UK bluechip index closed 96.60 points or 2.1 percent lower on Wednesday at 4,383.42, and has lost 0.2 percent this year. Oil majors led gains, with rebounding Royal Dutch Shell up 1 percent, BP up 1.3 percent, and BG Group up 0.2 percent. "While (the markets) may get buffeted about from one day to the next, what they're really focusing on is the recovery," said Mike Lenhoff, chief strategist at Brewin Dolphin Securities in London. House prices in Britain rose by 2.6 percent in May, ahead of analysts expectations, the Halifax house price survey showed, underscoring optimism Britain's recession may be easing.. Lenhoff said any upbeat comments from the Bank of England could reinforce the market's optimism, though investors were not overly focused on its interest rate decision. The results of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee meeting are due at 1130 GMT.. The Bank is expected to keep interest rates steady at a record low of 0.5 percent and refrain from expanding its quantitative easing plan, as it tries to estimate how Britain's economy is faring.
