(Bloomberg) -- U.K. stocks erased losses, leaving the benchmark index little changed, as investors weighed corporate earnings and the Bank of England left its benchmark rate and asset-purchase plan unchanged.
Schroders Plc lost 3.2 percent after Canaccord Genuity Ltd. cut its rating on the money manager after it reported third- quarter results. Randgold Resources Ltd. rallied 8 percent after reporting quarterly profit that beat analysts’ estimates. Tate & Lyle Plc added 1.8 percent posting better-than-projected first- half revenue.
The FTSE 100 Index rose 3.89 points, less than 0.1 percent, to 6,745.58 at 12:17 p.m. in London. The gauge rallied 4.2 percent in October as U.S. lawmakers ended a fiscal dispute and reached a deal to reopen a partially shut-down government. The broader FTSE All-Share Index added 0.1 percent today, while Ireland’s ISEQ Index slid 0.3 percent.
“Corporate results have been mixed,” Kevin Lilley, head of European equities at Old Mutual Global Investors U.K. Ltd., which manages $17 billion, said by telephone. “Companies have been missing on the top line, beating on the profitability side and reiterating their full-year guidance.”
The Bank of England said today it is maintaining its key interest rate at 0.5 percent and its target for the stock of asset purchases at 375 billion pounds ($600 billion).
“The BOE will want to keep their powder dry in case things start to deteriorate again,” Lilley said. “I don’t think that’ll happen but they want to keep some ammunition.”
ECB Decision
In Frankfurt, the ECB will announce its interest-rate decision at 1:45 p.m. and President Mario Draghi will address a press conference 45 minutes later. Three of 70 economist estimates compiled by Bloomberg forecast the central bank will cut its benchmark interest rate to 0.25 percent from 0.5 percent. In a separate survey, eight of 38 economists called for interest rates to be lowered in December.
Schroders lost 3.2 percent to 2,521 pence. Canaccord Genuity cut its rating on the money manager to hold from buy. The fund manager had assets under management of 256.7 billion pounds on Sept. 30, missing estimates, Royal Bank of Canada analyst Peter Lenardos wrote in note.
Travis Perkins Plc declined 2.1 percent to 1,766 pence. UBS AG is offering shares in the builders’ merchant at 1,755 pence each on behalf of an unidentified investor, according to terms obtained by Bloomberg.
Inmarsat, Randgold
Inmarsat Plc lost 3.9 percent to 686.5 pence. The largest provider of maritime-satellite services reported third-quarter sales that missed analysts’ estimates and said 2014 will be a year of transition, in which a difficult outlook for U.S. government business will hurt operating profits.
Randgold rallied 8 percent to 4,973 pence, its highest price since Sept. 9. The gold miner reported third-quarter adjusted earnings of 88 cents a share, topping the 67-cent profit estimated by analysts on average.
Tate & Lyle rose 1.8 percent to 808 pence. The maker of artificial sweetener Splenda reported first-half sales of 1.74 billion pounds, exceeding the 1.68 billion pounds projected by analysts on average.
Halfords Group Plc surged 14 percent to 475.6 pence, its highest price in three years. The car-repair and bicycle-parts retail chain reported first-half revenue and adjusted pretax profit that beat forecasts.
