(RTTNews) - U.K. stocks were muted on Friday as trading resumed after a two-day break for Christmas holidays.
The benchmark FTSE 100 was marginally lower at 8,130.70 amid a quiet day on the economic front.
Energy giant BP Plc rose 0.3 percent and peer Shell was marginally higher, as oil ticked up and remained on track for a weekly gain on expectations economic stimulus efforts will prompt a recovery in China, the world's second-largest economy.
Miners traded lower after iron ore sank to the lowest in more than five weeks — falling below $100 a ton — after the release of disappointing industrial profits data from China.
Anglo American fell 1.4 percent, while Glencore and Antofagasta both slipped around half a percent.
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