LONDON MARKETS: FTSE 100 Moves Higher, But Weekly Loss In Sight

By Carla Mozee, MarketWatch

U.K. stocks edged higher Friday, but remained on track for a weekly loss.

The FTSE 100 was up 0.3% to 7,082.97, with all sectors advancing. Utilities were emerging as the strongest performing sector, with water company Severn Trent PLC up 1.9%, and British Gas parent Centrica PLC adding 1%. SSE PLC gained 1.9%.

The blue-chip London benchmark was facing a 0.2% decline for the week, which would be the third weekly loss in four weeks. The FTSE 100 on Wednesday marked a record closing high of 7,096.78.

Pearson PLC was also higher Friday, rising 1.7%. The stock was kicked down 4% on Thursday after a Los Angeles Times report (http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-ipad-curriculum-refund-20150415-story.html#page=1) that the Los Angeles Unified School District is canceling a program under which it purchased Apple (AAPL) iPads featuring curriculum materials from Pearson. The country's second-largest school district is seeking a refund that could amount to millions of dollars.

AstraZeneca PLC (AZN) shares picked up 0.5% after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved its selumetinib drug (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/fda-approves-astrazenecas-melanoma-treatment-2015-04-17) to treat a rare eye disease, Uveal melanoma.

London-traded decliners included Royal Mail PLC , whose shares were off by 0.4% as Davy Research started coverage of the parcel-delivery company with an underperform rating.

Subscribe to WSJ: http://online.wsj.com?mod=djnwires