Investing.com - U.K. stocks were higher Thursday led by banks as the pound edged toward the $1.30 mark.
The FTSE 100 was up 0.36% at 05:45 ET.
The pound was up 0.44% at $1.2984 after remarks by Bank of England governor Mark Carney.
Carney told the ECB banking forum in Portugal "some removal of stimulus policy is likely to become necessary."
The U.K. economy is close to full employment as inflationary pressures build.
The yield on the 10-year gilt touched the 1.2% mark in the wake of Carney's comments.
Banks were higher as U.K. consumer credit jumped in May.
Mortgage approvals and lending also beat estimates.
Banks were also buoyed as all major U.S. lenders passed stress tests, paving the way for higher shareholder payouts.
(LON:{{280|HSBC}) was up 4.31%.
Mining stocks were also higher as industrial metal prices firmed.
(LON:Anglo American) put on 4.59%.
The government is due to unveil its decision on (NASDAQ:21st Century Fox) proposed £11.7 billion takeover of (LON:Sky)